Spore Contamination in Meat Substitutes

During the production of vegan meat substitutes, bacterial spores can be introduced via raw materials and ingredients. Although heating and thermal decontamination are common practices, the inactivation potential of these process steps—particularly extrusion—has been little studied to date. Due to the wide variety of formulations and process conditions, spores could survive thermal treatments; furthermore, conditions in the final product could promote germination and growth. The goal of the project is to monitor commercially available products using culture-dependent and culture-independent methods, with a focus on spore-forming organisms such as toxigenic Bacillus and Clostridium species. The isolates obtained will be used in further studies on matrix-dependent spore inactivation during extrusion, as well as on germination and growth behavior during refrigerated storage in two vegan matrices. The results provide a foundation for product safety and support manufacturers in determining shelf life and conducting risk assessments.