In this study, changes in hepatitis E virus (HEV) contamination in the production of liver sausage from naturally contaminated pork liver were investigated. Furthermore, the potential effectiveness of individual production parameters in reducing viral loads was measured. When processing moderately contaminated liver (initial Cq-value 29), HEV RNA persisted in the finished sausages, even after heating for 90 min at 75 °C. A matrix-specific standard curve was created using a spiking experiment to accurately quantify HEV RNA in a particularly challenging matrix like liver sausage. Variations in product-specific production parameters, including mincing and heating times, showed some reduction in contamination levels, but even prolonged heating did not render all finished products HEV negative. The persistence of HEV contamination underscores the importance of ongoing monitoring in the pig population and raw materials to enhance food safety measures and reduce the likelihood of transmission through pork consumption. The detection of HEV RNA within all processing stages of pork liver in the production of liver sausage suggests that further research into the risk of infection posed by this detection and vigilance in managing HEV risks in the food chain, particularly in pork products, are required to protect public health.

中文翻译：

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用自然污染的猪肝生产肝肠期间戊型肝炎病毒污染的变化以及单个生产参数减少加工链中戊型肝炎病毒污染的潜力

在这项研究中，调查了用天然污染的猪肝生产肝肠时戊型肝炎病毒（HEV）污染的变化。此外，还测量了各个生产参数在减少病毒载量方面的潜在有效性。当加工中度污染的肝脏（初始 Cq 值 29）时，即使在 75 °C 下加热 90 分钟后，HEV RNA 仍然存在于成品香肠中。使用加标实验创建了基质特异性标准曲线，以准确定量肝香肠等特别具有挑战性的基质中的 HEV RNA。产品特定生产参数（包括切碎和加热时间）的变化表明污染水平有所降低，但即使长时间加热也不会导致所有成品 HEV 呈阴性。戊型肝炎病毒污染的持续存在凸显了对猪群和原材料进行持续监测的重要性，以加强食品安全措施并减少通过猪肉消费传播的可能性。在肝肠生产过程中，猪肝的所有加工阶段都检测到了 HEV RNA，这表明需要进一步研究这种检测带来的感染风险，并在管理食物链（特别是猪肉产品）中的 HEV 风险时保持警惕，保护公众健康。