Hygiene Indicators of Pork Meat Treated with Electroactivated Water

Abstract

Electroactivated water (EAW) has been growing in popularity in recent years in many countries. The use of EAW during meat production improves some hygiene indicators, and is a cheap, safe, non-toxic and effective option for improving the quality and extending the shelf life of meat. In the present study, the influence of different types of EAW on some hygienic indicators of pork meat was studied. The following indicators were studied: total microbial count (TMC), amount of Escherichia coli and coagulase-positive staphylococci, as well as the presence of Salmonella spp. and Listeria monocytogenes. All tested EAW solutions can be used to improve the hygiene in pork meat production, with the most effective in long term being the treatment with acidic water (AW), and in short term – the treatment with highly alkaline water (HALW). The research was funded under the scientific research project of the Scientific and Research Sector of the University of Forestry (NIS–LTU–B–№ 1286/19.10.2023).