With food safety concerns continuing to be top of mind for meat producers, there may be greater thoroughness and rigor in formulation and validation testing for processed meats today than ever before. But identifying the right Listeria control solution for your application can involve numerous iterations to get the dosing and formulation just right, and that can be expensive in terms of development time and costs.

Speeding that process can mean a valuable product development edge for manufacturers. That’s why Corbion developed a proprietary predictive modeling tool that can help you arrive at a formulation that delivers the desired level of safety with far less application testing. The Corbion® Listeria Control Model (CLCM) is a powerful and flexible tool that leverages the vast amount of research data Corbion has compiled from specifically designed and validated Listeria challenge studies over the past decade.
 

A customized prediction

The online tool helps you calculate the antimicrobial dosage level required to effectively retard the growth of Listeria monocytogenes in your application based on certain parameters and conditions. You specify a few key characteristics of your product – moisture level, pH, salt and nitrite content, and water activity – along with storage temperature and the type of product (i.e., cured, uncured or refrigerated food), and the CLCM will predict Listeria growth based on the Corbion solution and usage level you define. 

once you have defined all required variables, the model’s prediction is immediately presented via a graph that compares Listeria growth with and without (control) the Corbion antimicrobial. In addition to providing the mean value of the normal distribution to show wher the likelihood of growth is highest (based on our data), the graph also includes a gray area representing 95% of all our experimental data points.

A key advantage provided by the CLCM is the freedom and flexibility to quickly compare – without cost – the effectiveness of different antimicrobial solutions, and to understand the impact that even small variations in dosage, temperature and other factors can make. Having that capability allows you to reduce the number of trials required to validate safety levels, saving both time and money in bringing your product to market.
 

Powerful options

Corbion’s 80-plus years in meat preservation and food safety have shaped a broad portfolio of versatile and highly effective ingredient solutions that — in addition to inhibiting pathogens and spoilage organisms — enhance other product attributes important to both consumers and manufacturers. The CLCM helps quickly determine the best match between a specific application and specific solution in the Corbion portfolio, which includes:
 

The Opti.Form® range of sodium and potassium lactate and (di)acetate blends, which provide gold-standard Listeria control and extend shelf life while offering improved yield, purge control and texture in meat and poultry products.
 

The PURASAL® range of sodium and potassium lactates, which limit the growth of spoilage bacteria and extends product shelf life by lowering water activity and disrupting bacterial metabolism; it also improves tenderness and juiciness in meat. 
 

The Verdad® range of vinegar-based ingredient solutions, which deliver outstanding Listeria inhibition, longer shelf life, better yield and reduced sodium levels without adversely affecting flavor. Some ingredients in the range include natural plant extracts for additional benefits.
 

The CLCM is just one of the ways Corbion partners closely with customers, providing help with application and product development, formulation advice, microbiology studies and production troubleshooting.