High-Pressure Processing and Natural Antimicrobials Combined Treatments on Bacterial Inactivation in Cured Meat

Abstract

The combination of high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) and natural antimicrobials can present an interesting efficiency in the decontamination process of cured meat. However, several factors, such as application method and antimicrobial type, must be better understood to improve the process and its total employment. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the combined effect (synergism or antagonism) of HHP and natural antimicrobials to inactivate pathogenic and spoilage bacteria in cured meat. After a systematic search of research articles in the databases (Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, and Science Direct), 20 articles were eligible and resulted in 123 studies for meta-analysis. The effect on Listeria sp., Salmonella serovars, E. coli O157:H7, and total viable counts was investigated considering different application methods (spread onto the surface, incorporated into the product, and active packaging) and antimicrobial types (plant, bacterial and animal origins). Active packs showed the best synergy with HHP, exhibiting a mean effect of 0.78 (CI95: 0.25–1.32) log cfu/g. Antimicrobials of microbial origin (bacteriocins) were more effective in combination with HHP. In addition, Listeria sp. was the most sensitive bacterium considering all investigated combined methods. Hence, the use of natural antimicrobials has the potential to improve the decontamination process when HHP is applied.