Lucas, J.RaúlVelasco De Diego, RaquelSelgas Cortecero, María DoloresCabeza Briales, María Concepción2024-01-312024-01-312023Lucas JR, Velasco R, Selgas MD, Cabeza, MC. Dry-cured Ham Thickness Is a Limiting Factor for its Sanitization by E-beam Treatment. JCF. 2023; 18: 89-921661-575110.1007/s00003-022-01410-zhttps://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/97243This work aimed to optimize the E-beam treatment of whole-boned dry-cured hams to reach the food safety objective for Listeria monocytogenes. According to the zero-tolerance criteria in the USA and China, 2.39 decimal reductions are required. Boned hams were grouped by their thickness in clusters A (≤ 7 cm) and B (> 7 cm). All of them were contaminated with Listeria innocua as a surrogate of the pathogen. The inoculum (approx. 107 cells) was placed in the space before occupied by the bone. Then, bilateral treatments at 1 and 2 kGy were applied to A and B clusters, respectively. Listerial load reductions higher than 2.39 log colony forming units (CFU) were observed in the innermost part of the pieces. The absorbed doses by the treated hams were < 3 kGy, avoiding the radiation over-exposure that could compromise their sensory quality. Therefore, taking into account the thickness of whole-bone ham pieces could optimize the sanitization effect of the E-beam treatmentengAttribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 Internationalhttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/journal articlehttps://doi.org/10.1007/s00003-022-01410-zhttps://link.springer.com/journal/3restricted accessBoned dry-cured hamE-beam treatmentListeriaFood safety objectiveThicknessTecnología de los alimentos3309.13 Conservación de Alimentos3309.15 Higiene de Los Alimentos3309.90 Microbiología de Alimentos3309.99 Otras