ARS | Publication request: High Pressure Inactivation of HAV within Mussels

Submitted to: Food and Environmental Virology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: April 19, 2010
Publication Date: June 17, 2010
Citation: Terio, V., Tantillo, G., Martella, V., Dipinto, P., Buonavoglia, C., Kingsley, D.H. 2010. High Pressure Inactivation of HAV within Mussels. Food and Environmental Virology. 2:83-88.

Interpretive Summary: While in the USA blue mussels are normally consumed after cooking, mussels of the Mediterranean region are often consumed raw. Furthermore some Mediterranean regions have relatively levels of high hepatitis A infections. Consequently, mussels are frequent vectors for food-borne acquisition of the virus in Europe. In fact, it is not uncommon to detect hepatitis A virus (HAV) within mussels sold in local Italian markets. Current intervention methods such as depuration, a process that places shellfish in sanitized water for up to several days, are ineffective against this virus. Given that high pressure processing (HPP) has been demonstrated to be effective against HAV in other foods, such as oysters, strawberry puree, and green onions, we have investigated the potential of HPP to inactivate HAV within both Mediterranean and blue mussels. We find that a 5-min 400-megaPascal, or approximately 60,000 psi treatment, is sufficient to inactivate >99 and >99.9 % of HAV within Mediterranean and blue mussels respectively. In total, these results suggest that HPP would be a viable intervention strategy for mussels potentially contaminated with HAV.

Technical Abstract: The potential of hepatitis A virus (HAV) to be inactivated within Mediterranean mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) and blue mussels (Mytilus edulis) by high pressure processing was evaluated. HAV was bioaccumulated within mussels to approximately 6-log10 PFU by exposure of mussels to HAV-contaminated seawater. After shucking, 5- min pressure treatments of 300, 325, 350, 375, and 400 MegaPascals (MPa) were performed at room temperature (18-22C). For blue mussels, log10 PFU reductions of HAV averaged 2.1and 3.6 for treatments of 350 MPa and 400 MPa, while for Mediterranean mussels reductions of 1.7 and 2.9 log10 PFU MPa were observed for equivalent treatments. These results demonstrate that high pressure processing is capable of inactivating HAV within mussels.