Abstract
Listeria monocytogenes is a foodborne pathogen that represents a serious concern for ready-to-eat (RTE) meat products due to its persistence in production facilities. Among the different strategies for the control of this pathogen, the use of antimicrobial peptides derived from food by-products, such as slaughterhouse blood proteins, has emerged as a promising biocontrol strategy. This study evaluated for the first time the use of peptic hydrolysates of porcine hemoglobin as a biocontrol strategy of L. monocytogenes in RTE pork cooked ham. Pure porcine hemoglobin (Hb-P) and porcine cruor (P-Cru) were hydrolyzed using pepsin at different temperatures (37 °C for Hb-P and 23 °C for P-Cru) for 3 h. Then, the hydrolysates were characterized in terms of their degree of hydrolysis (DH), peptide population, color, and antimicrobial activity (in vitro and in situ) against three different serotypes of L. monocytogenes. Reducing the hydrolysis temperature of P-Cru by 14 °C resulted in a 2 percentage unit decrease in DH and some differences in the peptide composition. Nevertheless, the antimicrobial activity (in situ) was not significantly impacted, decreasing the viable count of L. monocytogenes by ~1-log and retarding their growth for 21 days at 4 °C. Although the color of the product was visibly altered, leading to more saturated reddish and yellowish tones and reduced brightness, the discoloration of the hydrolysates can be addressed. This biopreservation approach holds promise for other meat products and contributes to the circular economy concept of the meat industry by valorizing slaughterhouse blood and producing new antilisterial compounds.
Keywords:
antimicrobial peptides; biopreservation; blood valorization; circular economy; hemoglobin.