Combined use of high pressure and salt or sodium nitrite to control the growth of endogenous microflora in raw pork meat

The interaction of high pressure (up to 500MPa at 20°C for 6min) with sodium chloride (0%–3%) or sodium nitrite (0mg/kg–100mg/kg) on the outgrowth of four endogenous flora of pork meat was investigated during storage after a cold-chain break. First, the effect of high pressure was investigated. Next, high-pressure treatments at 350MPa were combined with the addition of salt or sodium nitrite. Interesting results were observed for the lactic acid bacteria of the salted samples. Whereas salt or 350MPa processing alone was not sufficient to delay the growth of these bacteria until the end of storage, the combination treatment resulted in low microbial counts (below 2logCFU/g) at the end of storage. The results of this study suggest the existence of a synergy between salt and high pressure that could result from pressure sensitization of bacterial cells.