Inactivation of pathogens inoculated into prepared seafood products for manufacturing kimbab, steamed rice rolled in dried seaweed, by gamma irradiation.

Three prepared seafood products for manufacturing a laver (dried seaweed) roll, a traditional and rapidly growing ready-to-eat meal in Korea, were selected and the effects of irradiation treatment for eliminating pathogens of public health significance were investigated. The pathogens tested were Salmonella Typhimurium, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Listeria ivanovii. The radiation sensitivity (D10-values or the dose required to inactivate 90% of a population) of these organisms ranged from 0.23 to 0.62 kGy in imitation crab leg, 0.31 to 0.44 kGy in surimi gel, and 0.27 to 0.44 kGy in dried seaweed. The growth of all four test organisms inoculated (10(8) CFU/g) into these foods was inhibited by irradiation during 24 h of postirradiation storage regardless of the temperature (10, 20, and 30 degrees C). L. ivanovii was not detected after a 3-kGy treatment, but the other pathogens were not detected following irradiation at 2 kGy. These studies indicated that low-dose irradiation (2 kGy or less) of prepared seafood materials can keep them microbiologically safe before manufacturing a ready-to-eat prepared meal, a laver roll.