Control of Listeria monocytogenes contamination in ready-to-eat meat products

The ubiquitous nature of Listeria monocytogenes and its ability to grow at refrigerated temperature makes L. monocytogenes a significant threat to the safety of ready-to-eat (RTE) meat products. The contamination by L. monocytogenes in RTE meat primarily occurs during slicing and packaging after cooking. The effectiveness of post-package package decontamination technology such as in-package thermal pasteurization, irradiation, and high-pressure processing are discussed. Formulating meat products with antimicrobial additives is another common approach to control L. monocytogenes in RTE meat. Irradiation is an effective technology to eliminate L. monocytogenes but can influence the quality of RTE meat products significantly. The effect of irradiation or the combination of irradiation and antimicrobials on the survival of L. monocytogenes and the quality of RTE meat is discussed.