Meat+Poultry - February 2019 - 64

INGREDIENT ISSUES

for pathogen and spoilage organism growth,"
Johnson says.
An increase in osmotic pressure in the
environment causes water to move through
the cell membrane and out of microorganisms.
Basically, this dehydrates the cell and it loses
viability. "This partial dehydration severely
interferes with the life cycle of the organism,"
Johnson says. "Potassium chloride can have
the same effect, as it also decreases the water
activity of meat and poultry products."
There are many other pathogen-inhibiting
additives - natural and traditional chemical -
available for adding an extra defense against
potentially deadly microbes.

ORGANIC ACIDS AND THEIR SALTS

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Organic acid salts are some of the most
effective antimicrobial agents used in meat and
poultry products. They are basically organic
acids, such as propionic acid, acetic acid and
citric acid, buffered, also known as neutralized,
with a conjugate base. Their mode of action
on pathogenic and spoilage microorganisms
is the same, but their effectiveness varies by
the organic acid, specifically the amount of
undissociated or non-ionized acid.
"Lactic acid and acetic acid form the basis
of the majority of our antimicrobials," Campano
says. "Lactic acid is a product of the fermentation of sugars, and acetic acid is the primary
component of vinegar, which is produced by the
acetous fermentation of dilute distilled alcohol."

It is generally agreed that the ability of
these organic acids to inhibit microbial growth
is related to their ability to diffuse into the
cytoplasm of bacterial cells.
"Once inside the cell, certain metabolic
functions are inhibited, in part due to the
acidification of the cytoplasm," Campano
says. "However, it's not usually practical to
add an acid to a processed meat product. The
resulting pH decline and associated protein
denaturation are not conducive to production
of the typical hot dog or deli meat item. As a
result, we typically buffer the pH of the organic
acids to produce the associated salt at a near
neutral pH, which has no detrimental effect on
the production of the finished meat product." 
Fermentation technology allows for the
development of optimized-performance
ingredients containing organic acids, sugars
and peptides, oftentimes without any artificial
additives. Vinegar-based ingredients are gaining
traction among processors because of its
clean-label appeal.
"It's a simple, commonly recognized
ingredient, and can prevent Listeria growth
within a targeted shelf life period," says
Amanda King, technical manager, Kemin Food
Technologies, Des Moines, Iowa. "Vinegar is
made through a natural fermentation process
that produces acetic acid.
"Buffering to a pH similar to the application
matrix allows for seamless incorporation into
formulas without negative quality impacts, but
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