Predictive modelling of Salmonella spp. inactivation in pork burger patties of varying fat contents

Salmonellosis is the second most common reported cause of foodborne illness annually in Australia with pork products implicated in outbreaks (Pointon in press). Pork burgers are a serving option for pork mince and can potentially have foodborne pathogens internalised during grinding. Predictive models exist for the thermal inactivation of E. coli O157:H7 in beef patties (Juneja et al. 1997), but analogous models for Salmonella spp. in pork patties could not be found. This study aimed to create such a model and determine if fat content or serovar affect Salmonella survival.