Chinese Sausage Research Articles

Prevalence of Staphylococcus aureus contamination isolated from meat and meat products in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

To assess the prevalence of Staphylococcus aureus contamination in meat and meat products in Ho Chi Minh City, a study was conducted isolating 220 samples, comprising 120 samples of raw meat (beef, pork, and chicken) and 100 samples of meat products (Chinese sausage, raw pork sausage, fermented pork roll, dried beef, and dried chicken). Results indicated that 38 samples of meat and 27 samples of meat products were contaminated with Staphylococcus aureus, with pork and its products showing the highest contamination rates.

Effect of fat concentration on protein digestibility of Chinese sausage

Chinese sausage is a popular traditional Chinese meat product, but its high-fat content makes consumers hesitant. The purpose of this study is to compare the nutritional differences of Chinese sausages with different fermentation times (0, 10, 20, 30 d) and fat content (the initial content was 11.59% and 20.14%) during digestion. The comparison of digestion degree, protein structure, and peptide composition between different sausages were studied through in vitro simulated digestion. Chinese sausages with high-fat content had higher α-helix, β-turn, and random coil, making them easier to digest. The fermentation process made this phenomenon more pronounced. The high-fat sausage fermented for 10 d showed the highest release of primary amino acids (about 9.5%), which was about 3.5% higher than the low-fat sausage under the same conditions. The results of peptidomics confirmed the relevant conclusions. After gastric digestion, the types of peptides in the digestive fluid of high-fat sausages were generally more than those in low-fat sausages, while after intestinal digestion, the opposite results were observed. The type of peptide reached its peak after fermentation for 20 d. These findings are of obvious significance for selecting the appropriate fermentation time and fat content of Chinese sausages.

Effect of medicine food homology Penthorum chinense Pursh on physicochemical property and volatile flavor substances analysis of Chinese sausage

Abstract Due to the adverse effects of synthetic chemical antioxidants, natural plant extracts, such as Penthorum chinense Pursh extract, have been demonstrated to possess antioxidative properties in Chinese sausages. Nevertheless, some physicochemical properties remain obscure. This study sought to determine the direct relationships between changes in pH, moisture, water activity, total viable count, color traits, volatile flavor compounds, and sausage quality. Therefore, P. chinense Pursh extract (PCPE) were added to Chinese sausage instead of synthetic chemical antioxidants. The results proved that the PCPE could reduce the a w value and stabilize the pH and moisture. The total number of bacterial colonies in the 0.1 % and 0.3 % sample groups was 7 % lower than that in the blank group on the 35th day. The PCPE could also maintain an acceptable appearance in Chinese sausage; the 0.3 % PCPE group presented a better final a* value, and the 0.1 % PCPE group had a better b* value. Additionally, eight volatile flavor compounds (ROAV > 0.1), contributing to the flavor of Chinese sausage, were identified in the 0.3 % PCPE group by the ROAV analysis. Overall, the P. chinense Pursh extract could be a potential alternative to synthetic chemical antioxidants in the production of Chinese sausages.

In vitro antioxidative activity of Fritillaria cirrhosa D. Don straw ethanolic extract and its effect on lipid, protein oxidation, and quality of Chinese-style sausage.

Fritillaria cirrhosa D. Don, which can be used for medicine and food, contains a variety of chemicals including polyphenols, alkaloids, terpenoid, and others that have beneficial biological properties like antihypertension, bacteriostasis, and anti-inflammatory. The ethanolic extract of Fritillaria straw was obtained for this study using ultrasonic-aided extraction, and the amounts of total phenols and total flavonoids were 26.56±1.36mgGAE/gdw and 18.75±0.80mgRE/gdw, respectively. Ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight-mass spectrometry technology was utilized to identify 50 major chemicals in the Fritillaria straw extract (FSE). Meanwhile, the antioxidative activities of FSE were evaluated by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl, 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) and Ferric reducing antioxidant power assays in vitro, which pointed out the antioxidative potential of FSE. Additionally, 0.1%, 0.5%, and 1% of FSE and 0.02% butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA)+butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) (1:1) were separately added to Chinese-style sausage to study their effects on the lipid oxidation, protein oxidation, and quality of the sausage at different storage times. The study found that the effect of adding 1% FSE on carbonyl content, total volatile basic nitrogen, and TVC of sausage could achieve the effect of the 0.02% BHA+BHT (1:1) group on the 35th day, and the thiobarbituric acid reactive substances value and peroxide value of sausage were significantly lower than the control group. Therefore, as one of the candidates to replace synthetic antioxidants, the FSE can be used in the production of Chinese sausages, which has a positive effect on improving the product's quality and extending the shelf life. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: The antioxidative activities of 50 main compounds were identified after the ethanolic extraction of Fritillaria straw. This Fritillaria straw extract was added to Chinese sausage, effectively inhibiting the oxidation of lipids and proteins as well as the decomposition of proteins. Obviously, the Fritillaria straw extract, one of the choices to replace synthetic antioxidants, may be useful for future meat processing, because of its positive impact on the product's quality and shelf life.

Effects of vitamin C supplementation on Chinese sausage-induced liver damage in rats

Contamination of nitrosamine compounds in Chinese sausages and the relevant hepatoxicity have been reported. This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of vitamin C (VC) supplementation on Chinese sausage contaminated with N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA)-induced liver damage and relevant metabolomic changes. Rats were orally administered with Chinese sausage contaminated with NDMA at levels overpassing its safety limit. In some experiments, VC was additionally administered via drinking water to the rats for 25 weeks. Serum samples were collected from the rats for the measurement of the metabolomic profiles by using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. Compared with the group administered with Chinese sausages alone, in rats with additional VC treatment, all serum biochemical parameters indicating hepatic damage were significantly alleviated, which suggested an improved hepatic function by VC supplementation. Metabonomic analysis of the serum samples showed notable changes in metabolites in VC-supplemented group as compared to that with sausage alone, especially for those involved in the regulation of amino acid or energy or lipid metabolism and/or anti-oxidative function. This study indicates that VC supplement in parallel with long-term exposure to Chinese sausage may attenuate liver damage and promote the recovery of liver function.

Potential Correlation between Microbial Diversity and Volatile Flavor Substances in a Novel Chinese-Style Sausage during Storage.

A novel Chinese-style sausage with Chinese traditional fermented condiments used as additional ingredients is produced in this study. The aim of this study was to investigate the microbial community's structure, the volatile flavor substances and their potential correlation in the novel Chinese sausage. High-throughput sequencing (HTS) and solid-phase microextraction-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) were, respectively, used to analyze the microbial diversity and volatile flavor substances of the novel Chinese-style sausage during storage. The results showed that Firmicutes, Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria were the predominant bacterial genera, and Hyphopichia and Candida were the predominant fungal genera. A total of 88 volatile flavor substances were identified through GC-MS, among which 18 differential flavor compounds were screened (VIP > 1), which could be used as potential biomarkers to distinguish the novel sausages stored for different periods. Lactobacillus exhibited a significant negative correlation with 2,3-epoxy-4,4-dimethylpentane and acetoin and a significant positive correlation with 2-phenyl-2-butenal. Hyphopichia significantly positively correlated with ester. Leuconostoc significantly positively correlated with ethyl caprate, ethyl palmate, ethyl tetradecanoate and ethyl oleate while it negatively correlated with hexanal. This study provides a theoretical basis for revealing the flavor formation mechanisms and the screening of functional strains for improving the flavor quality of the novel Chinese-style sausage.

Flavor evolution of normal- and low-fat Chinese sausage during natural fermentation

This work compared the flavor evolution of normal-fat (NF) with that of low-fat (LF) Chinese sausage during natural fermentation. Higher degree of lipid oxidation occurred in NF sausages, resulting in its faster formation of stable volatile profiles. Faster formation of esters occurred in NF sausage in the initial 10 days, whereas prolonged fermentation reduced the level of ethyl lactate-M, ethyl heptanoate, ethyl hexanoate-D and ethyl pentanoate-D. Gradual reduction of alcohols was observed in both groups, and surge in aldehydes occurred in LF samples during day 20–30 period. Faster formation of taste characteristics and larger amount of 2-methylfuran as well as 2,3-dimethylpyrazine were found in LF sausages, since more free amino acids were liberated in LF sausages. Umami and aftertaste tastes formed in the first 20 days, whereas prolonged fermentation reduced these favorable taste. These results highlight that the choice of proper fermentation duration should largely depend on the fat content in Chinese sausages.

First insights into antimicrobial resistance, toxigenic profiles, and genetic diversity in Bacillus cereus isolated from Chinese sausages

Bacillus cereus is a common food-borne bacterial pathogen. This study was to designed the prevalence of B. cereus in Chinese sausages and evaluate its genetic diversity, toxigenic profiles, and antimicrobial resistance. Using bacteriological and biochemical detection tests, B. cereus was isolated from 12.63% (N = 49) of the total 388 samples. However, only 37 of the 49 isolates were simultaneously classified as the strictly B. cereus based on the classification of their genomes. Multi-locus sequence typing showed that the clonal complex was highly concentrated in CC142. Enterotoxin-encoding genes (hblABCD, nheABC, entFM, and cytK) were detected in all the strains. A total of 25 genes, associated with biofilm synthesis, were confirmed according to a computerized approach. In total, 89.19% of the isolates possessed only four resistance genes (BcⅠ, BcⅡ, fosB, and vanZF). Nevertheless, all isolates displayed resistance to three or more kinds of antibiotics. Moreover, three isolates were discovered to have tet(45) gene variants and were resistant to tigecycline. This study revealed the powerful potential of B. cereus to cause food poisoning in humans. The presence of multidrug-resistant B. cereus, especially with resistance to tigecycline, mediated by the tet(45) variant, poses a major threat to food safety and public health.

Changes in N-nitrosamines, Residual Nitrites, Lipid Oxidation, Biogenic Amines, and Microbiota in Chinese Sausages Following Treatment with Tea Polyphenols and Their Palmitic Acid-modified Derivatives

This study aimed to investigate the effects of tea polyphenol (TP), epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), and their palmitic acid-modified derivatives palmitoyl-TP (pTP) and palmitoyl-EGCG (pEGCG) on the accumulation of N-nitrosamine and biogenic amines (BAs), residual nitrites, and lipid oxidation in Chinese sausages. The microorganisms, color, and texture properties of sausages were evaluated. TP, EGCG, pTP, or pEGCG significantly inhibited the accumulation of N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) and BAs, residual nitrites, and lipid oxidation, but enhanced the redness, hardness, and chewiness of sausages. The concentration of NDMA in sausages was reduced by 58.11%, 63.51%, 36.49%, and 44.59%, respectively, after treatment with TP, EGCG, pTP, and pEGCG. Both EGCG and pEGCG exhibited excellent inhibitory effects on the predominant BAs, including putrescine, tyramine, cadaverine, histamine, and 2-phenylethylamine. Palmitoyl-EGCG was found to be the strongest inhibitor of lipid oxidation. Besides, the four antioxidants weakly affected the population of total aerobic bacteria and lactic acid bacteria but totally suppressed the growth of undesirable Enterobacteriaceae. The principal component and correlation analyses proved that BAs, nitrites, lipid oxidation, and microbiota were responsible for the formation of NDMA. The results indicated that palmitic acid-modified TPs and similar derivatives might serve as potential preservatives to improve the safety and quality of fermented meat products.

A comparative study of tea polyphenols and its palmitic acid-modified derivatives: their effects on the microbial ecosystem and biogenic amines in Chinese sausage.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13197-023-05717-z.

Antimicrobial effect of sorbic acid-loaded chitosan/tripolyphosphate nanoparticles on Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Sorbic acid-loaded chitosan/tripolyphosphate nanoparticles (SANs) have previously been shown to exert both antibacterial and antioxidant effects on Chinese sausage. In this study, the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of SANs against two Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains were determined. The blank control group (BC) served as the negative control, while the chitosan/tripolyphosphate nanoparticles (CTNs) group and free sorbic acid (SA) group served as the positive controls. Tests conducted under five different pH conditions (5/6/7/8/9) revealed that the SANs exhibited a good bacteriostatic effect against P. aeruginosa. Variations in the metabolism, cell membrane or cell wall integrity, and morphology of P. aeruginosa were measured to evaluate the effects of SANs on their intracellular and extracellular components. The MIC of SANs for the two P. aeruginosa strains was determined to be 150 μg/mL. SANs delayed the growth of P. aeruginosa and severely damaged both its inner and outer cell membranes. The heteromorphism of the bacteria as observed by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), verified the aforementioned results. The results showed SANs could effectively inhibit the growth of P. aeruginosa and exert antibacterial ability in a wider range of acid-base environments. This study broadens the application of SANs in food processing and provides experimental basis.

A Case Study: Detection of Nitrate Meat Products Sold Convenient Store and Supermarket in Bangkok, Thailand.

Nowadays, Nitrate is a food preservative, which is used in traditional processed meat products to extend its shelf life, and transform to preferable colour, and odour. The objective of this study is to investigate the contamination of Nitrate in food that exceeds standards in the traditional processed meat products from convenience stores and supermarkets. The study collected 6 types of the traditional processed meat product in June 2022 from a convenience store and supermarket in Bangkok, Thailand. Then, detection of Nitrate in the samples by GT-Nitrate test kit. The results showed that, there was 27.78% sample that was not met Nitrate that exceeded standard value according to the regulations on the usage of food additives, Notification of Ministry of Public Health number 389 in B.E. 2561 (2018), Re: food additives (Number 5) determine to use of Nitrate exceed than 500 mg. per kg. 2 samples of steamed pork sausage products (50%) were the highest of Nitrate contamination that were over the standards, followed by fermented pork, sour sausage, and sun-dried pork products of 1 sample (33.33%), respectively. Moreover, the Chinese sausage and sun-dried beef products were not found that there was the Nitrate contamination in products over the standard value. It has been found that there are a few of traditional processed meat products in convenience stores and supermarkets contaminated with Nitrate. This phenomenon demonstrated that some producers still use Nitrate exceeding the standards. Hence, the processed meat products workshop for entrepreneurs should be conducted by the related sectors to stimulate them to be aware and follow the regulations strictly. In addition, they should monitor the safety of processed meat products before distribution to avoid the hazard to the consumers health that may cause.

Role of Lactobacillus plantarum with antioxidation properties on Chinese sausages

Excessive protein and lipid oxidation can lead to the deterioration of sausage quality, especially flavour. Functional starter culture increases their attractiveness through sensory qualities and a potential healthpromoting effect. It was investigated that Lactobacillus plantarum (L.plantarum) strains with antioxidation properties effected on the flavour and oxidation of fermented sausage in the study. The group treated with natural fermentation was used to as control (control group). Results showed that P3 and P3-M2 had the ability of reducing lipid and protein oxidation during fermentation. The increase of lipoxygenase activity and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARs) values were retarded. Sulfhydryl group contents were significantly higher than those in the control. Furthermore, changes in protein bands were confirmed with the less protein oxidation with P3-M2 than P3 and the control. Accordingly, strain P3 and P3-M2 significantly enhanced the types and relative contents of esters after fermented, indicating that strain P3 and P3-M2 contributed to the production of flavour substances. These results revealed that L.plantarum strains with antioxidation properties were a promising approach in inhibiting lipid and protein oxidation of Chinese sausage, maintaining the stable natural structure of protein, simultaneously improve the quality of sausage and promote the sausage to form a better flavour.

Screening and optimization of a nitrate reductase-producing Staphylococcus simulans UV-11 and its application

A strain of Staphylococcus simulans D14 (S. simulans D14) showed the highest nitrate reductase activity (NRA) of 4.52 mM NO2−/mg dry weight by the spectrophotometric method, which was screened from traditional Chinese sausage. When the UV mutagenesis time was 25 s, the positive mutation rate was the highest at 26.60%. The NRA of the obtained positive mutant UV-11 was 9.21 mM NO2−/mg dry weight, and the activity was found to be 1.04-fold higher than that of the original strain S. simulans D14. A Plackett–Burman design (PBD) was employed to screen the significant variables pH, KNO3 (%) and incubation time (h), and response surface methodology (RSM) was used to optimize the significant variables using a Box–Behnken design (BBD). The results showed that the NRA of S. simulans UV-11 was 15.22 mM NO2−/mg dry weight under optimum conditions of 37 °C, pH 6.5, incubation time 15 h, KNO3 0.045%, NaCl 5%, NaNO2 0.015%, peptone 1%, and D–mannitol 1%, which increased by 65.2% compared with the unoptimized medium. Natural curing agents (containing 107 CFU/g S. simulans UV-11 under optimal conditions and 1.40% celery powder, T2) were added to the cured meat model. T2 produced significantly lighter and redder signals than the control group (C) and the addition of 150 ppm NaNO2 group (T1). The thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS) of T2 was 2.30 mg malonaldehyde/kg product and residual nitrite of T2 was 7.1 ppm after 14 days of storage,which were lower than those groups of C and T1. Taking into account the results of cured meat models, S. simulans UV-11 could be selected as a potential starter culture for the processing of natural meat products.

Simultaneous determination of 11 water-soluble dyes in food products and beverages by high performance liquid chromatography

A simple and inexpensive liquid chromatography diode array detector (LC-DAD) procedure has been developed to analyse food dyes in beverages, candies, jams, salted fish, Chinese sausage, and cake. A reverse stationary phase provided sufficient selectivity and chromatographic performance for the separation of 11 water-soluble dyes (tartrazine, amaranth, indigo carmine, ponceau 4R, sunset yellow, allura red, carmoisine, fast green FCF (Food green 3), brilliant blue, quinoline yellow, and indocyanine green). The samples were extracted with 1% ammonium solutions and acetonitrile, purified, and concentrated using a C18 solid-phase extraction (SPE) cartridge for beverages, and weak anion exchange SPE cartridge for solid samples. They were determined using a reverse-phase C18 column with gradient elution of 0.2% ammonium acetate buffer, and acetonitrile as the mobile phase. Multiple-specific wavelengths were used to monitor the dyes in the visible range to provide higher sensitivity and an expanded scope for a large number of analytes. The limit of detection and limit of quantification of the dyes were in the range of 0.2 - 0.5 and 0.5 - 1.0 µg/mL, respectively. The precision of the method ranged from 2.71 to 6.31%, while recovery ranged from 90.8 to 105.6%. The validated method was successfully applied to the quantitative analysis of 11 water-soluble dyes in 36 commercial products obtained from the local supermarket. Application to the analysis of beverages and food samples available to consumers proved that the described methods are suitable for the routine analysis of dyes in food products containing a broad range of dyes.

Colour Characterization and Detection of Dry Chinese Sausage Casing Twist using Colour Image Analysis

Chinese sausage is traditional air-dry sausage that loved by the Chinese community around the globe. This sausage can be served alone after steam cook or cook with other ingredients to create other tasty Chinese delicacies. However, a manual hand cutting process is required to cut out the sausage linking twist during the sausage’s packaging phase. This hand cutting process is tedious, time consuming and danger to workers. This study has proposed two types of sausage casing twist detector using image processing technique based on HSL and RGB colour characteristic and a set of blob detection technique to detect sausage casing twist blob on the output image. Hue, green-blue and red-blue colour characteristics are found being significant to represent the sausage casing twist in the sample images and used in the proposed algorithms. The RGB based algorithm is capable to produce a low noise image with SNR of 3.73dB as compared to Hue-based detector at -8.89dB which unsuccessful to remove shadow and object outlining of the output image. The proposed blob detection algorithm is able to detect 73.02% of the blob in hue-based image while 94.18% in RGB based image. The false detection rate in hue-based image has reached 333.33% compared to 12.17 % in RGB based image.

Combination of Flos Sophorae and chili pepper as a nitrite alternative improves the antioxidant, microbial communities and quality traits in Chinese sausages

The main issue remains finding a nitrite alternative able to provide its multiple functions. Flos Sophorae exerts antioxidant and prebiotic actions, chili pepper has potent coloring capacity, thus this study investigated whether combination of Flos Sophorae and chili pepper could address the multiple activities of nitrite in Chinese sausages. Dry-fermented sausages were prepared: control and four treatments added with 150 mg/kg sodium nitrite (Nit), 0.2% Flos Sophorae (FS), 1% chili pepper (CP), and combination of 0.2% Flos Sophorae and 1% chili pepper (FS + CP). Results indicated that FS, CP and FS + CP had higher moisture, antioxidant activity and numbers of beneficial Staphylococcus and yeasts Candida, and lower numbers of Escherichia coli and harmful fungi, while FS had lower redness and harder texture than control. Their combination inhibited the declines of capsanthin and antioxidant capacity with ripening time, further improved microbiological communities compared with CP, and resulted in higher redness, similar color score and bacterial community, less lipid oxidation and softer texture compared with Nit. These results suggested that Flos Sophorae in combination with chili pepper could replace the nitrite’s contribution to red curing color and microbiological communities, and effectively hinder lipid oxidation in Chinese sausages.

Mango Peel Pectin by Microwave-Assisted Extraction and its Use as Fat Replacement in Dried Chinese Sausage.

In this research, low-fat dried Chinese sausage was formulated with mango peel pectin (MPP; 0%, 5%, 10%, and 15% (w/w)) extracted by microwave assisted extraction (MAE). The extractable yield of pectin attained from peel of Nam Dok Mai variety was achieved at 13.85% using 700-watt power. The extracted MPP were of high equivalent weight (1485.78 mg/mol), degree esterification (77.19%) and methoxyl content (19.33%) with a structure of greater porosity as compared to that of the conventional method. Spectrum scans by Fourier transform infrared spectrophotometer (FT-IR) indicated that the extracted MPP gave similar wave number profiles as the commercial pectin. Quality attributes of the Chinese sausages were assessed and compared with the control formula (CTRL). At higher concentrations of MPP, the intensity of redness and yellowness in sausage increased. The texture profile of the sausage illustrated that only the hardness value was comparable with the CTRL, while springiness, cohesiveness, gumminess and chewiness were statistically lower (p < 0.05). Furthermore, the sensory evaluation by experienced panellists (n = 12) indicated that 5% MPP similarly represented overall acceptability with the CTRL. Consequently, MPP can be effectively incorporated in the formula at low level to replace fat in Chinese sausage, allowing colour improvement and production of a healthier option.

Physicochemical and sensory characteristics of reduced fat-low sugar Chinese pork sausage as produced by chitooligosaccharide using commercial pectinase hydrolysis

ABSTRACT The production of chitooligosaccharide (COS) from chitosan (molecular weight [MW] at 362 kDa and degree of deacetylation [%DD] at 100) using commercial enzymatic hydrolysis (commercial pectinase, Pectinex® Ultra SP-L) was investigated. The commercial pectinase hydrolyzed (COS) chitosan was produced by optimal condition (i.e., pH of sodium acetate at 4.0, enzyme:substrate ratio at 1:4, and incubation time at 180 min). This condition yielded COS with highest yield (98.0%). COS possessed %DD at 100 and MW at 99.77 kDa. The result in this study implied that COS can be easily dissolved in dilute organic acid and water. COS was applied to improve the quality of reduced fat-low sugar Chinese pork sausage. The shelf life of sausage with 0.5% and 1.0% w/w COS was extended from 7 days (control) to 14 days, when packed in plastic bags (Poly Ethylene, PE) at room temperature. Moreover, the inside color, skin color, gumminess, chewiness and proximate compositions of the sausage did not affect by COS (p > .05). The produced sausage was accepted by consumers.

SUN-123 WHEN SHOULD WE TREAT HEPATITIS E IN RENAL TRANSPLANT PATIENTS?

Whereas Hepatitis E (HepE) is a self-limiting illness in immunocompetent individuals, chronicity is increasingly reported among immunocompromised individuals. In the absence of established therapy for HepE, current approach is initial monitoring with treatment for viral persistence. We hypothesized that spontaneous resolution is infrequent among immunocompromised renal transplant recipients(RTX), warranting early treatment. This single-centre, retrospective study evaluated clinical and laboratory characteristics and outcomes for RTX with HepE at our Centre. 10 RTX were diagnosed with HepE from 2013-2018 yielding a yearly incidence of up to 1,082/100,000 population among RTX, in comparison to 0.92/100,000 in the general population.Among study patients (90% Male, Median age 55 years, 80% Chinese, 20% Indian), 2 reported intake of Chinese sausages or raw oysters and 1 Indian male had exposure to plasma products. Diagnosis of HepE was made on viral load detection among 9 RTX and by serology in 1 RTX at an interval of 111-8,770 days. At diagnosis, median AST was 80IU/mL, ALT 133IU/mL and ALP 102.5IU/mL and viral load was 1,140,000IU/ml.Immunosuppression decrease (IS_Dec) alone was successful in achieving viral clearance in 1 RTX with a low viral load of 4,380 copies; another RTX did not achieve clearance despite trial of IS_Dec over 188 days. The remainder could not undergo IS_Dec for clinical reasons and had Ribavirin initiated within 50 days of diagnosis. Of 9 treated with Ribavirin, 4(44.4%) developed anaemia, the majority requiring erythropoietin.7 out of 8 (87.5%) achieved viral clearance within 105 days after initiation, 2(22.2%) had relapse /reinfection requiring re-treatment while 1 had treatment failure due to treatment-limiting side effects. HepE has a high incidence among RTX, presenting with mild transaminitis and responding to Ribavirin in the majority. As viral clearance with IS_Dec is not effective or feasible in the majority, our results advocate for early treatment for HepE among RTX.