Thermal Food Processing

Thermal Processing of Poultry Products 205
recording devices, to ensure that the temperature (accuracy ensured
within 0.56°C (1°F)) limits of these processes are being met. Data from
the recording devices must be made available to USDA-FSIS program
employees upon request.
These FSIS cooking guidelines also suggested new time–temperature combinations
for cooking RTE poultry products having different fat levels. Two other
examples of poultry meat cooking regulations are Canada and Illinois. Most states
have cooking regulations or guidelines with similar terminology a those shown here.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Bureau of Food Safety and Consumer
Protection Retail Food, states the following in its information bulletins:
Section B.22.026. No person shall sell poultry, poultry meat or poultry meat byproduct
that has been barbecued, roasted or broiled and is ready for consumption
unless the cooked poultry, poultry meat or poultry meat by-product
(a) at all times
(i) has a temperature of 4.4°C (40°F) or lower, or 60°C (140°F) or higher, or
(ii) has been stored at an ambient temperature of 4.4°C (40°F) or lower, or 60°C (140°F)
or higher, and
(b) carries on the principal display panel of the label a statement to the effect that the food
must be stored at a temperature of 4.4°C (40°F) or lower, or 60°C (140°F) or higher.
The Illinois Department of Public Health requires that:
Other foods, such as poultry; stuffed fish, meat or pasta; or stuffing containing fish,
meat or poultry must be cooked to 73.9°C (165°F) or above for at least 15 seconds.
Not cooking to the established temperatures could result in salmonella poisoning.
7.2.2 READY-TO-EAT MEAT
7.2.2.1 Current Research on Ready-to-Eat Meat
The majority of recent recalls of meat and poultry products involve RTE products.
Surface contamination of RTE meat with pathogenic organisms generally occurs
during postprocess handling. To control this contamination, surface pasteurization
thermal processes involving steam or hot water may be effectively applied either
prior to packaging or as a postpackage pasteurization application.
A series of three papers from the same research group described the impact of
in-package pasteurization of Vienna sausages on controlling spoilage microorganisms,
primarily lactic acid bacteria (LAB). 31–33 Depending on the severity of the
applied thermal treatment, LAB were reduced from 84.4% of the total bacterial
population to between 52.9 and 74.6% of the total population for Vienna sausages