Impact of nitrite on detection of listeria monocytogenes in selected ready-to-eat (RTE) meat and seafood products

The impact of sodium nitrite (NaNO2) on detection and recovery of Listeria monocytogenes from select ready-to-eat (RTE) food including smoked salmon, smoked ham, beef frankfurters, and beef bologna was assessed. Nitrite-containing (NC; 100 to 200 ppm NaNO2) or nitrite-free (NF) foods were inoculated with a 5-strain cocktail of L. monocytogenes by immersion into Butterfield's buffer solution containing 5.4 to 7.4 x 10(3) L. monocytogenes per milliliter. Inoculated products were vacuum-packaged and store at 5 degrees C. A weekly comparative analysis was performed for presence of L. monocytogenes using 5 detection methods on products held at 5 degrees C for up to 8 wk. L. monocytogenes initially present at <100 CFU/g during the first 2 wk of storage increased throughout the study, attaining final populations of approximately 1 x 10(4) to 1 x 10(5) CFU/g. Lactic acid bacteria predominated throughout the study in all products. Exposure to NaNO2 (100 to 200 ppm) resulted in 83% to 99% injury to the L. monocytogenes strains tested. The genetic-based BAX((R)) System (DuPont (TM) Qualicon, Wilmington, Del., U.S.A.) and modified USDA/FSIS methods detected 98% to 100% of Listeria-positive food samples and were consistently superior to and significantly different (P < 0.05) from conventional cultural methods in recovering Listeria from NC samples. Data show that nitrite-induced injury adversely affects detection and recovery of L. monocytogenes from NC food, confirming earlier findings that nitrite-induced injury masks L. monocytogenes detection in NC RTE food products. Nitrite-injured Listeria can subsequently repair upon nitrite depletion and grow to high levels over extended refrigerated storage.