• Quantitative analysis modeled pathogen inactivation across DFS processing. • Fermentation showed the shortest pathogen log-reduction times. • Fermentation alone did not meet ≥5-log targets for Salmonella and STEC. • Casing size, A w , and nitrite/nitrate were major drivers of drying lethality. • Formulation effects on pathogen survival varied by processing step. Dry fermented sausages (DFS) rely on non-thermal hurdles for safety, yet the impact of pathogen control measures has not been systematically evaluated. In this review, 207 datasets from 40 challenge studies were compiled and analyzed using inactivation modeling to quantify the impact of processing conditions on pathogen reduction during DFS manufacture. Factor analysis of log reduction times was conducted to elucidate interactions of processing conditions and how they impacted pathogen inactivation. Log-reduction times (LRTs) indicated that fermentation was the step with the most rapid pathogen inactivation, yielding significantly shorter LRTs than during drying or storage. However, the level of lethality achieved during fermentation alone was generally insufficient to reach commonly used validation benchmarks for Salmonella and STEC, indicating that fermentation, while a critical processing step, cannot function as the sole safety step. Regression tree analysis identified pathogen type, water activity (A w ), nitrite/nitrate concentration, and casing diameter as major determinants of inactivation during drying. The findings of the current work address Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS)-identified data gaps by quantifying pathogen inactivation across DFS processing steps and identifying the processing parameters that influence lethality, thereby supporting development of effective multi-hurdle safety strategies.
Nam et al. (Sun,) studied this question.