Modelling transfer of Salmonella Typhimurium DT104 during simulation of grinding of pork

Aims: The aim of this study was to develop a model to predict cross‐contamination of Salmonella during grinding of pork. Methods and Results: Transfer rates of Salmonella were measured in three experiments, where between 10 and 20 kg meat was ground into 200‐g portions. In each experiment, five pork slices of about 200 g per slice were inoculated with 8–9 log‐units of Salmonella Typhimurium DT104 and used for building up the contamination in the grinder. Subsequently, Salmonella‐free slices were ground and collected as samples of c. 200 g minced pork. Throughout the process, representative samples were quantitatively analysed for Salmonella. A model suggested by Nauta et al. (2005) predicting cross‐contamination of Campylobacter in poultry processing and two modified versions of this model were tested. Conclusions: The present study observed a tailing phenomenon of transfer of Salmonella during a small‐scale grinding process. It was, therefore, hypothesized that transfer occurred from two environmental matrices inside the grinder and a model was developed. The developed model satisfactorily predicted the observed concentrations of Salmonella during its cross‐contamination in the grinding of up to 110 pork slices. Significance and Impact of the Study: The proposed model provides an important tool to examine the effect of cross‐contamination in quantitative microbial risk assessments and might also be applied to various other food processes where cross‐contamination is involved.