PROCESS VALIDATION FOR THE REDUCTION OF ESHERICHIA COLI DURING THE CURING AND DRYING OF BILTONG, A SOUTH AFRICAN STYLE DRIED MEAT

Biltong, a South African staple that is gaining in popularity in the United States typically comes in medium or dry forms related to total product water activity. Ready-to-eat beef products should achieve a five-log reduction for Escherichia coli (E. coli) O157:H7 and other non-O157 Shiga-toxin strains (STEC). Under current guidelines, the recommended method to achieve a five-log reduction is via thermal processing. In contrast, biltong producers prefer non-thermal processing to maintain traditional practices. The objective of this research was to validate a process for E. coli reduction during biltong manufacturing, while adhering to traditional, non-thermal, processing techniques. Trials 1 and 3 showed that it was possible to achieve a 5-log reduction for surrogate E. coli in whole muscle dried products without thermal processing. This work should be followed by studies utilizing pathogenic E. coli O157:H7 and non-O157 STEC for further validation.