Dry-cured ham is a shelf-stable product that can be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes due to post-processing operations, compromising the compliance of zero tolerance policies (e.g. US Listeria rule). The present study quantifies the behavior of L. monocytogenes in sliced Spanish dry-cured ham of different water activity (a_w) during storage at different temperatures. Inactivation kinetics were estimated by fitting primary models to the experimental data. The effect of temperature and a_w on kinetic parameters was characterized through secondary polynomial models. L. monocytogenes viability decreased in all the assayed conditions, confirming that dry-cured ham is not only listeriostatic but listericidal. The fastest and highest reductions were observed at 25 °C, with 1 Log reduction after 6 and 9 days in Iberian and Serrano ham respectively. The work provides scientifically-based data and models to design a low-cost control measure based on a corrective storage as a post-lethality treatment to enhance the accomplishment of zero-tolerance requirements.

干腌火腿是一种货架稳定的产品，由于后处理操作而可能被单核细胞增生性李斯特菌污染，从而损害了零容忍政策（例如美国李斯特菌法规）的遵从性。本研究定量了在不同温度下储存期间不同水分活度（_aw）的西班牙干腌火腿切片中单核细胞增生李斯特菌的行为。通过将主要模型拟合到实验数据来估计失活动力学。通过二次多项式模型表征了温度和_w对动力学参数的影响。单核细胞增生李斯特菌在所有测定的条件下，活力都下降了，这证实了干腌火腿不仅具有止静电作用，而且具有杀菌作用。在25°C时观察到最快和最高的减少，在伊比利亚和塞拉诺火腿中分别在6天和9天后减少了1 Log。这项工作提供了基于科学的数据和模型，以设计基于纠正性存储的低成本控制措施，将其作为致死后处理以增强零容忍要求的实现。