In the near future, a scientific article will be published in the journal LWT-Food Science and Technology, entitled; Effects of hypertension on the growth of Listeria and the textured and microscopic properties of smoked salmon.
The authors are Ásbjörn Jónsson, an employee of Matís as well as Birna Guðbjörnsdóttir, Hannes Hafsteinsson and Volker Heinz.
The science article is the result of a project that was carried out in the years 2005-2006.
The main goal of the project was to study the effect of hypertension (400-900 MPa) on the growth of the bacterium Listeria innocua and quality factors (image structure, texture and color) in cold-smoked salmon after treatment for 10, 20.30 and 60 seconds. Effects on the total number of aerobic bacteria, lactic acid bacteria and Bacillus heals were also studied.
The study showed that short-term hypertension treatment was effective in improving the quality and safety of cold-smoked products. Due to slight changes in the appearance and texture of the products, further research is needed. This new method promises to meet the requirements for longer shelf life of smoked salmon.
The study is of great value to the industry, due to its innovation in using high pressure for a short time (seconds) to eliminate the bacterium Listeria in smoked salmon and thus increase the shelf life of this valuable product.
The article can be found here.
The project was funded by the Icelandic Research Center's Research Fund.
For further information, please contact Ásbjörn Jónsson, asbjorn.jonsson@matis.is.