Lactic acid spray improves pork safety: study

Researchers have found that applying a 4 percent concentration of lactic acid spray to pig carcasses at slaughter and on retail pork cuts post-slaughter improves microbiological safety.

The study, which evaluated the intervention efficiency of sprays containing 2 percent and 4 percent concentrations of lactic acid spray, involved the application of the sprays to pig carcass surfaces at the end of the slaughter line. Samples were collected from both carcass surfaces after bleeding and evisceration and from retail cuts 24?hours after chilling/spraying.

Significantly greater reductions in all bacterial species detected were observed on the carcasses and retail cuts of pork meat that were sprayed with lactic acid, particularly at the 4 percent level.

Read the abstract online at the International Journal of Food Microbiology.