New Interventions and Validation for the Control of Pathogens in the Processing of Jerky

Jerky is a common ready to eat product that can be purchased at just about any gas station, grocery store and small processing facility in the United States. Many small and very small plants manufacture jerky. It is important that these small and very small plants be able to validate that the product they manufacture is safe and free from pathogens. Many of the small processors use smokehouses with minimal controls, especially for humidity which are similar to home dehydrators. Faith et al. (1998) evaluated ground and formed jerky that had been dried using processes that were similar to home style dehydrators. They reported that viability of bacteria was reduced as the drying temperature increased and drying time increased. In the past, control of pathogens for jerky was due to reduced water activity. Control of most bacteria occurs at water activities below 0.90 (Jay, 1986). Calicioglu et al. (2003a) reported a 5 log reduction in Escherichia coli O157:H7 inoculated post-drying after 7 days of storage. The water activity of the jerky post-drying was between 0.564 and 0.696. Water activity below 0.85 has been used in other countries to establish safety of jerky (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, NZFSA). New guidelines from the USDA suggest lowering water activity to 0.80 to control Salmonella and E. coli 0157:H7 along with processing with high humidity at the first of the manufacturing process.