Guidelines for conducting Listeria monocytogenes challenge testing of foods.

摘要

Challenge testing using Listeria monocytogenes is a useful tool for determining the ability of the organism to grow in foods, for validating the effectiveness of growth inhibitors, and for validating the degree of lethality delivered by processes intended to inactivate the organism. This paper addresses factors that should be considered when designing and conducting L. monocytogenes challenge tests, including the type and number of strains of L. monocytogenes used, the inoculum level, inoculum preparation and method of inoculation, formulation of the product, delivery of a lethal treatment, incubation of samples, the length of the study, frequency of sampling and sample analyses. Studies conducted according to these guidelines can be used to validate the level of reduction achieved by a lethal treatment or the level of control achieved by an antimicrobial treatment or process to assess product safety and compliance with government laws, regulations and policies.