Designing predictive model for microbial load in sausage meat processing with using impedance method and survey on its correlation with reference

Subject Areas : Food Microbial Contamination

Reyhaneh Sororyan ¹ , Laleh Roomiani ² , Ali Fazlara ³

1 - Department of Food Science and Technology, Ahvaz Branch, Islamic Azad University, Ahvaz, Iran.
2 - Department of Fisheries, Ahvaz Branch, Islamic Azad University, Ahvaz, Iran.
3 - Department of Food Science and Technology, Ahvaz Branch, Islamic Azad University, Ahvaz, Iran.

Received: 2015-10-18 Accepted : 2016-01-23 Published : 2015-12-01

Keywords: Bacterial load, Impediometric technique, sausage,

Abstract :

The objective of the present study was to employ the technique of Impedance Splitting Method, a technique of high accuracy and sensitivity, in the microbial count and characterization based on their rate of metabolic activity leading to a change in electrical resistance in the shortest possible time. A total bacterial count on samples (n= 80 of sausage) collected during the cold and warm seasons, were evaluated by the standard and the Impedance splitting methods (ISM). Based on the obtained coefficient of determination results in the resulting mathematical equations, the correlation coefficient between the two methods in relation to the total bacterial count in sausage, in the summer and winter seasons, as well as the cumulative results have been 93.9, 93.1and 95%, respectively. This study suggests that impediometric technique can be used as a rapid and reliable method to accurate estimation of sausage bacterial loads. This initial evaluation of the suitability of indirect impedance to generate microbial growth data in complex food matrices indicates significant potential for the technology as an alternative to plating methods.