Purpose: This study was designed to look at the application of a low acid pH antimicrobial (sold under the trade name Citrilow™) to pork products.
Methods: Bone-in, boneless and pork trim products were inoculated with generic Escherichia coli (EC) and Salmonella (SLM). For the bone-in and boneless products, ten samples of each type were individually weighed and the top surface was individually swabbed twice for the control samples. The pieces were flipped over and treated with the antimicrobial (pH 1.2, flow rate 2 gallons per minute) for 5 s. The pieces drained for 20 s and then the treated side was swabbed twice. The samples were then reweighed. The swab samples were tested for Aerobic Plate Count (APC), EC, and quantitative SLM.
Results: The bone-in samples had a reduction of 3.21 logs of APC, a reduction of 3.75 logs of EC and a reduction of 2.24 logs of SLM. The boneless samples had a reduction of 3.53 logs of APC, a reduction of 4.54 logs of EC and a reduction of 2.45 logs of SLM. The weight difference of the average green weight and the average treated weight for the bone-in product was 0.39% and for the boneless product was 0.28%.
Significance: As shown in the above data, the use of a low pH antimicrobial showed a reduction of greater than three logs of APC, almost a four-log reduction of EC, and a greater than two-log reduction of SLM without adding greater than 0.49% moisture pick-up. The reduction of bacteria including pathogenic bacteria provides the consumer with a safer product.