Refinement of the dry ageing vaccuum-packed pork for the inactivation of Toxoplasma gondii cysts from experimentally infected pigs

• Grant number: 19/15962-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: November 01, 2019
• End date: June 30, 2021
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Veterinary Medicine - Preventive Veterinary Medicine
• Principal Investigator: Hilda Fátima de Jesus Pena
• Grantee: Yara Souza Clemes
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia (FMVZ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Toxoplasmosis is a disease of extreme zoonotic importance caused by the protozoan Toxoplasma gondii. Felines are the only definitive hosts of T. gondii, as they are the only animals able to eliminate oocysts of the parasite in the feces. The other animals have the role of intermediate hosts transmitting the zoonosis when their meat is used as food. The two main routes of transmission of T. gondii to humans are the ingestion of sporulated oocysts and the ingestion of raw or undercooked meat containing viable tissue cysts of the agent. Experimental studies have shown that cysts can remain viable after heating at 60°C for up to 4 minutes or at 50°C for up to 10 minutes. It has already been shown that the cysts can be destroyed after the meat is frozen at -12°C resulting in the recommendation of freezing the meat cuts for at least two days at temperatures below -12°C. Processing by curing some meat products may render cysts unviable depending on salt concentration and storage temperature. The process of dry ageing of pork loins from experimentally infected pigs did not inactivate T. gondii cysts with 14 days of maturation, but it was demonstrated that they were not feasible at 21 days of maturation, opening a window of study for the refinement of this methodology as a control of toxoplasmosis through ingestion of meat. (AU)

Academic Publications

(References retrieved automatically from State of São Paulo Research Institutions)

CLEMES, Yara Souza. Refinement of vacuum-packed dry ageing for the non-viability of Toxoplasma gondii tissue cysts in pork loins of experimentally infected pigs. 2022. Master's Dissertation - Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia (FMVZ/SBD) São Paulo.