Pasteurized meat thawing

Mark RepliesCategory: General questionPasteurized meat thawing
Kayla Zajac asked 1 week ago

Does thawing pasteurized meats in the vacuum sealed bags bag they were pasteurized(140 for 4 hours in sous vide) run the same risk of botulism as thawing raw meat in vacuum sealed bags?

1 Answers
Mark Staff answered 1 week ago

Hi, Kayla

As a general rule, pathogens, if present, grow slower in raw versus pasteurized meat. This is because there are more spoilage (non-pathogenic) bacteria is raw versus cooked food. Spoilage bacteria typically suppress the growth of pathogens.

The safest way to thaw food is to do it as quickly as possible, while keeping the product cold (<40F).

There are two common types of Clostridium botulinum–proteolytic and non-proteolytic strains. Non-proteolytic strains can grow as low as 37F while proteolytic strains do not normally grow below 50F.

Probably the most effective way to minimize botulinum toxin risk is to heat the food before serving, such as 185F for 5 minutes. This combination of time and temperature destroys the protein structure of the toxin, thereby inactivating its effects.

Please let me know if you need further assistance.

Mark

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