Sous-vide Method Research Articles

MICROBIOLOGICAL EVALUATION OF GROUND PORK PREPARED AND STORED USING THE SOUS VIDE METHOD OF FOOD PROCESSING

The sous vide method of food processing involves placing raw or partially cooked products in a pouch, removing the air, sealing, cooking and then chilling the product for an extended time. This method provides an ideal environment for growth of some pathogenic bacteria. The purpose of this study was to determine the microbiological quality of a ground pork product using the sous vide method of processing. Patties prepared with and without soy hulls were cooked at 62 or 76C and stored chilled for 0, 1, 2 and 3 weeks. Samples were monitored for Listeria spp. with aerobic plate counts (APCs) and coliform counts also being determined. Moisture, pH and fat content of ground pork were measured. For the raw product, no statistically significant difference was found for coliforms, APCs or pH for the 12 trials of the experiment. Listeria spp. were not isolated from the raw product. Statistically significant differences were only found for fat and moisture. No coliforms were found in cooked patties or in cooked patties stored over the 3-week period. However, statistically significant differences were noted for APCs. Over the 3-week storage period, pork patties prepared with and without soy hulls and cooked at the higher temperature had lower APCs than patties cooked at the lower temperature. Pork patties cooked at the lower temperature had unacceptable levels of APCs for all weeks of chilled storage. Sous vide products made under carefully controlled conditions can be of good microbiological quality, even when stored up to 3 weeks.