Updated Compliance Guideline April 2007 

Quick Guide on Processing Jerky

and 

Compliance Guideline for Meat and Poultry Jerky 

 Produced by Small and Very Small Plants 
Updated Compliance Guideline April 2007 

Compliance Guideline for Meat and Poultry Jerky 

Produced by Small and Very Small Plants 

2

Quick Guide on Processing Jerky 

The Compliance Guideline for Meat and Poultry Jerky lists seven (7) processing steps in 

the production of meat and poultry jerky where some level of microbial intervention can 

be applied to maximize lethality. While it may not be necessary for some establishments 

to apply all seven of these steps, the lethality treatment and drying steps must be used in 

all processes to ensure that a safe product is produced. 

Lethality treatment: For meat jerky, use of the time-temperature combinations 

provided in the lethality compliance guidelines (Appendix A of the final rule 

“Performance Standards for the Production of Certain Meat and Poultry Products”; 

http://www.fsis.usda.gov/OPPDE/rdad/FRPubs/95-033F/95-033F_Appendix_A.htm) can 

be used to ensure the safety of the product. For poultry jerky, the minimum internal 

temperatures listed in the lethality compliance guidelines of 160°F for uncured poultry 

(see complete Compliance Guideline regarding 155°F for cured and smoked poultry) can 

be used to achieve an adequate lethality. The time-temperature combinations listed in the 

“Time-Temperature Tables For Cooking Ready-To-Eat Poultry Products” can also be 

used for lethality. 

The 90% humidity parameter must be applied throughout the lethality treatment 

for meat and poultry jerky if the lethality compliance guidelines (Appendix A) are 

used as supporting documentation. The humidity must be maintained at ≥90% for the 

time that the product is heated at the temperature specified in Appendix A. 

Some simple and practical measures that can be used to aid in meeting the humidity 

parameters in the lethality compliance guidelines include: 

• Sealing the oven dampers to provide a closed system and to prevent moisture 

loss. 

• Adding humidity to the system by placing one or more shallow, wide pans of 

water in the oven or by injecting steam in the oven. 

The establishment is expected to measure and maintain the relative humidity during the 

lethality treatment. The process should be monitored using wet and dry bulb 

thermometers. The use of wet and dry bulb measurements can be used to determine 

relative humidity (http://home.fuse.net/clymer/water/wet.html). 

Drying: After the lethality treatment, the product is dried to meet a water activity level 

that will stabilize the finished product for food safety purposes. A water activity critical 

limit for stabilization of 0.85 or lower should control growth of all bacterial pathogens of 

concern. The finished product must also meet the moisture protein ration (MPR) product 

standard. 
Updated Compliance Guideline April 2007 

Compliance Guideline for Meat and Poultry Jerky 

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Compliance Guideline for Meat and Poultry Jerky 

Produced by Small and Very Small Plants

Purpose 

This document is intended to provide updated guidance and information for the small and 

very small meat and poultry plants that manufacture jerky. It is not intended to set any 

regulatory requirements. 

Background 

Meat or poultry jerky is a ready-to-eat (RTE), dried product that is generally considered 

to be shelf-stable (i.e., it does not require refrigeration after proper processing). In the 

early fall of 2003, FSIS found that producers of meat and poultry jerky may not be 

adequately processing jerky to achieve the lethality necessary to produce a safe product. 

FSIS identified two points in jerky processing where producers need to improve. 

1. Ensuring an adequate lethality 

If the requirement for moist cooking is not achieved, heat treatment alone may not be 

enough to meet the lethality performance standards. Processors that use dry heat to both 

heat and dry their product will not achieve adequate lethality during the heating process 

because the product dries prematurely, and the lethality process stops. Buege et al. 

(2006) and Faith et al. (1998) demonstrated that this failure would occur through studies 

in which an adequate lethality was not achieved by a slow temperature rise or by a long 

time at sub-lethal temperatures. 

2. Using water activity and not Moisture Protein Ratio (MPR) 

FSIS is aware that some manufacturers rely upon the maximum moisture protein ratio 

(MPR), rather than water activity, for determining whether their process adequately dries 

the jerky to produce a shelf-stable product. Water activity, however, as measured by 

laboratory analysis, is the more appropriate indicator to verify that the jerky is properly 

dried. Water activity is a better measure of available water for microbial growth than 

MPR. Minimizing available water (e.g., achieving a water activity of 0.85 or less) is 

critical for controlling the growth of pathogens. However, an MPR of 0.75:1 or less 

remains part of the standard of identity for jerky. Thus, an MPR of 0.75:1 or less is 

necessary to call the product “jerky,” but it is not sufficient to ensure a safe product. 

Definition of Lethality treatment: The process step or steps used to destroy pathogenic 

microorganisms on or in a product to make the product safe for human consumption. 
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Lethality Compliance Guidelines for Jerky

In general, jerky processing includes slicing or forming the meat or poultry, marinating, 

heating, and then drying the strips. The purpose of the heating step is to apply a lethality 

treatment to kill or reduce the numbers of microorganisms. Drying the jerky stabilizes 

the final product and prevents the growth of microorganisms, especially toxigenic 

microorganisms such as Staphylococcus aureus. Some processors combine the heating 

and drying procedures into one step. However, it is critical that the heating step includes 

adequate humidity before the jerky is dried. 

If the times and temperatures in the lethality compliance guidelines (Appendix A of the 

final rule “Performance Standards for the Production of Certain Meat and Poultry 

Products”; http://www.fsis.usda.gov/OPPDE/rdad/FRPubs/95-033F/95-

033F_Appendix_A.htm) are used, it is critical that the humidity criteria be rigorously 

followed during the cooking/heating (lethality) steps. Note: 

• Appendix A was developed for large mass meat products, not thin strips of meat. 

• The humidity parameters in Appendix A cannot be maintained in a home-style 

dehydrator. However, processes that can achieve an adequate reduction of 

Salmonella and E. coli O157:H7 in dehydrators are described in the studies by 

Buege et al. (2006), and Harrison et al. (2006). 

The following are general or common processing steps used in jerky production. 

Although an establishment’s process may not include all these steps, the lethality 

treatment and drying must be utilized to produce a safe product. The intervention 

step may be required for those processes that do not achieve an adequate lethality. The 

steps listed as heating and drying are consecutive steps. Drying should closely follow 

heating. Heating is used to achieve lethality of harmful microorganisms, and drying is 

used to stabilize the product. 

Step 1 - Strip preparation: Whole muscle is sliced or ground; ground product is formed 

into strips. (Some jerky is formed.) 

Step 2 – Marination: The strips are then marinated in a solution that often contains salt, 

sugar, and flavoring ingredients. 

Step 3 - Interventions: Antimicrobial interventions, before and after marinating the 

strips of raw product, have been shown to increase the level of pathogen reduction 

beyond that achieved by heating alone. Some heating processes may not deliver an 

adequate lethality and, thus, may require an additional intervention step to ensure product 

safety. Examples of such interventions are: 

• Preheating the meat or poultry jerky strips in the marinade to a minimum internal 

temperature of 160°F will provide an immediate reduction of Salmonella (Harrison 
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and Harrison, 1996). Heating in the marinade may produce an unacceptable flavor for 

some products; however, other liquids such as water could be used. The times and 

temperatures in the lethality compliance guidelines could be used for preheating in 

the liquid. 

• Dipping the product in 5 % acetic acid for 10 minutes before placing it in the 

marinade can augment the log reduction effects of drying but not enough to eliminate 

pathogens (Calicioglu, 2002 & 2003). This intervention may also result in an 

undesirable flavor. 

• Dipping the product in 1:2 or 1:3 mixtures of calcium sulfate (Mionix Safe2OTM) and 

water for 30 seconds can increase the level of reduction of Salmonella, Listeria 

monocytogenes, and Escherichia coli O157:H7 above that achieved with no 

pretreatment. Pretreatment with acidified sodium chlorite (Keeper®) at 

concentrations between 500 and 1,200 ppm also was effective. These pretreatments 

were effective in both dehydrators and smokehouse processing. (Harrison et al., 2006) 

Step 4 - Lethality treatment: The establishment needs to control, reduce, or eliminate 

the biological hazards identified in its hazard analysis. For meat and poultry jerky, these 

hazards will most likely include the microbiological hazards from Salmonella spp., 

Listeria monocytogenes, and Staphylococcus aureus. For beef jerky, Escherichia coli

O157:H7 may also be a hazard reasonably likely to occur. In recent years, several jerky 

products have been found to be adulterated with Salmonella and Escherichia coli

O157:H7. 

For meat jerky, use of the time-temperature combinations provided in the lethality 

compliance guidelines (Appendix A) should help to ensure the safety of the product. 

These time-temperature combinations are based on experiments that were done with 

ground beef without added salt or sugar. Added salt, sugar, or other substances that 

reduce water activity will increase the heat resistance of bacteria in a product. However, 

time and experience have shown that the time-temperature combinations in the lethality 

compliance guidelines have been sufficient to produce safe products even with both salt 

and sugar added, but the humidity during heating is a critical factor. 

For poultry jerky, to produce a safe product, producers can use the minimum internal 

temperatures listed in the lethality compliance guidelines of 160°F for uncured poultry or 

155°F for cured and smoked poultry. The required reduction of Salmonella also can be 

achieved by using one of the time-temperature combinations listed in the “TimeTemperature Tables for Cooking Ready-to-Eat Poultry Products” (on the FSIS website at 

http://www.fsis.usda.gov/OPPDE/rdad/FSISNotices/RTE_Poultry_Tables.pdf). NOTE: 

If highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) virus H5N1 is identified as a hazard 

reasonably likely to occur, cured and smoked poultry should be cooked to at least 

158°F or a time and temperature combination that achieves a 7-log10 reduction of 

Salmonella. However, here again, humidity during heating is a critical factor 
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regardless of which compliance guideline is used. As with meat jerky, the timetemperature combinations would be sufficient to produce safe products with both salt and 

sugar additives if the processor uses the humidity parameters applicable to beef as 

described below. 

For poultry jerky, to produce a safe product, producers can use the minimum internal 

temperatures listed in the lethality compliance guidelines of 160°F for uncured poultry or 

155°F for cured and smoked poultry. NOTE: If highly pathogen avian influenza (HPAI) 

H5N1 virus is identified as a hazard reasonably likely to occur, cook the cured and 

smoked poultry product to at least 158°F for 1 second or to a time-temperature 

combination that achieves a 7-log10 reduction of Salmonella as listed in the “Temperature 

Tables For Cooking Ready-To-Eat Poultry Products,” posted on the FSIS website at 

http://www.fsis.usda.gov/OPPDE/rdad/FSISNotices/RTE_Poultry_Tables.pdf. These 

time-temperature tables also can be used instead of the 160°F and 155°F listed in 

Appendix A. However, here again, humidity during heating is a critical factor

regardless of which compliance guideline is used. As with meat jerky, the timetemperature combinations would be sufficient to produce safe products with both salt and 

sugar additives if the processor uses the humidity parameters applicable to beef as 

described below. 

Some simple and practical measures that can be used to aid in meeting the humidity 

parameters in the lethality compliance guidelines include: 

• Seal the oven 

Close the oven dampers to provide a closed system and prevent moisture loss. In 

order to ensure that moisture is not lost, the establishment is expected to 

measure and maintain the relative humidity at ≥90% for the specified period 

of time. 

• Add humidity 

o Place one or more shallow, wide pans of hot water in the oven to provide 

humidity in the system. Conduct a test run to determine whether the water 

evaporates. 

o Injecting steam or a fine water mist in the oven can also add humidity. In 

either case, the use of a wet bulb thermometer, in addition to the dry bulb 

thermometer, would enable the operator to determine whether adequate 

humidity is being applied. 

 

• Monitor humidity 

Use a wet bulb thermometer in combination with a dry bulb thermometer. A 

basic wet bulb thermometer can be prepared by fitting a wet, moisture-wicking 

cloth around a dry bulb thermometer. To maintain a wet cloth during the process, 

submerse an end of the cloth in a water supply. The cloth must remain wet during 

the entire cooking step and should be changed daily, especially if smoke is 
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applied. The use of a wet bulb thermometer is especially important for production 

at high altitudes or areas of low humidity where evaporation is facilitated. 

The humidity parameters must be followed for meat and poultry jerky if the 

lethality compliance guidelines (Appendix A) are used as supporting documentation.

The time-temperature tables are based on wet-heat. Without humidity the product will 

dry, and the bacteria will become more heat resistant (Goepfert, 1970; Goodfellow 

and Brown, 1978; Faith, N.G. et al. 1998). As long as proper humidity is maintained, the 

level of pathogen reduction attained by using the lethality compliance guidelines for 

cooking poultry or whole beef should be sufficient to provide a safe product. 

If the lethality compliance guidelines are used, the relative humidity must be 

maintained above 90 percent throughout the cooking or thermal heating process, 

unless an establishment can provide documentation that its process can achieve an 

adequate lethality with less humidity. With adequate humidity, small mass products such 

as jerky should heat rapidly and attain the necessary time and temperature to meet the 

compliance guideline criteria for lethality. The humidity criterion, “50 percent of the 

cooking time but in no case not less than one hour,” in Appendix A is not applicable to 

jerky. 

The heating temperature and humidity (e.g., steam) are critical for achieving adequate 

lethality. If the heating chamber does not have high humidity, then most of the applied 

heat will be absorbed by the moisture evaporating from the product and the product will 

not attain a lethal temperature until most of the moisture is gone. As the water activity is 

reduced, the heat resistance (D value) of the bacteria increases (Goepfert, 1970). Thus, if 

adequate humidity is not maintained during heating, the time needed at a particular 

temperature to eliminate Salmonella will be greatly increased. It is crucial that the 

processor prevent drying of the product until a lethal time-temperature combination is 

attained. The humidity requirement must be applied during the first part of the heating 

process, before any drying occurs. If humidity is not applied for a sufficient amount of 

time, the product will lose moisture, and the concentration of any solutes, such as sugar 

or salt, will increase with the decrease in water. Both the drying of the product and the 

increase in solute concentration will increase the heat resistance of bacteria, including 

Salmonella. 

The process should be monitored using wet and dry bulb thermometers (values in 

Appendix A are wet bulb product temperature values). The use of wet and dry bulb 

measurements can be used to determine relative humidity 

(http://home.fuse.net/clymer/water/wet.html). For example, readings that show a 

difference of 2°F between the wet and dry bulbs might indicate approximately 94% 

relative humidity. Wet and dry bulb temperatures should not differ by more than 4.5°F. 

A temperature difference greater than 4.5°F indicates a relative humidity of 

approximately 86% and shows that the needed minimum relative humidity (90%) is not 

being maintained. A recent study by Buege et al. (2006) emphasized the importance of 
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wet bulb measurements in controlling the process. The web page “Safe Processing of 

Meat and Poultry Jerky” (http://www.ext.vt.edu/pubs/foods/458-501/458-501.html) 

provides examples of constructing a wet bulb thermometer, calibrating the thermometer, 

and placement of the thermometer in a piece of jerky. (Note: The example for calibrating 

the thermometer in ice water described on the web page may not guarantee accuracy at 

oven temperatures). 

At high altitudes, the amount of humidity in the chamber necessary to achieve a given log 

reduction of bacteria may need to be increased. Processing failures in the manufacture of 

jerky have occurred in establishments located at high altitudes. 

Step 5 – Drying: After the lethality treatment, the product is dried to meet a water 

activity level that will stabilize the finished product for food safety purposes. If the 

product is insufficiently dried, S. aureus and mold are potential hazards. These organisms 

are not expected to grow in properly dried products. A water activity critical limit for 

stabilization of 0.85 or lower should control growth of all bacterial pathogens of concern. 

The finished product must also meet the MPR product standard. 

Consequently, the establishment should verify the water activity to demonstrate that the 

product has attained the critical limit for shelf stability. Water activity is the key to 

determining the proper level of drying. The water activity can vary greatly at any given 

MPR (as a result of the presence and level of different solutes, such as sugar and salt). 

Therefore, a laboratory test for water activity should be used to verify proper drying. 

Step 6 – Post-drying heat step: Heat the dried product in a 275°F oven for 10 minutes. 

This heating has the potential to reduce Salmonella levels by approximately 2 logs from 

the level of reduction achieved during initial heat step (Harrison et al., 2001). This step 

may be needed for processes that do not result in an adequate reduction of Salmonella

through the initial heating process. 

Step 7 - Handling: The establishment’s Sanitation SOPs (9 CFR 416) should ensure that 

product is properly handled to prevent re-contamination or cross-contamination of the 

meat and poultry products by the bacterial pathogens of concern. 

Validating Customized Processes 

Establishments, or their processing authorities, may develop customized processes that 

achieve an appropriate reduction of pathogens throughout the product. These customized 

processes are based on a scientific rationale and supported by experimental data. 

Establishments develop their customized processes by using: 

• information obtained from the literature, 

• unpublished studies that are scientifically valid, or 
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• comparison of methods used by the establishment with established procedures 

that have been validated to achieve the required log10 reduction of pathogens. 

At a minimum, a validation study for a microbiological food safety hazard should: 

• identify the hazard, 

• indicate the log10 reduction achieved for the specified pathogens, 

• describe how the log10 reduction of the pathogen was achieved or determined, 

• specify the actual processing conditions (e.g., time, temperature, and humidity), 

• list critical ingredients (e.g., salt, sugar, and cure), and 

• list the critical product characteristics (e.g., pH, water activity, and fat content). 

If validation is needed for more than one product, the study should be designed around 

products with similar characteristics, ingredients, and processing procedures. Consider 

factors such as: 

• Salt, sugar, or other substances that reduce water activity may increase the heat 

resistance of bacteria; and 

• Additives may have a bactericidal effect and would limit the validation to 

products that contain the additive. 

NOTE: Alternative or custom processes must be validated (9 CFR 417.4). 

 

Challenge studies are excellent means to validate processes. Validation by a challenge 

study is based on a scientific rationale and provides the necessary data to determine the 

log10 reduction of the target pathogen. Pathogen challenge studies should be conducted 

in a testing laboratory and not in the processing plant environment. Product sampling 

results, based on historical data alone, should not be used to validate these procedures 

because they do not provide information on the incoming pathogen load and, 

consequently, the level of pathogen reduction achieved is unknown. Challenge studies 

should be equivalent to peer-reviewed scientific literature. All of the critical elements 

need to be included to permit evaluation or confirmation of the results. 

References 

1. Buege, D. R., G. Searls and S. C. Ingham. 2006. Lethality of commercial wholemuscle beef jerky manufacturing processes against Salmonella serovars and 

Escherichia coli O157:H7. J. Food Prot. 69(9): 2091-2099. 

2. Calicioglu, M., J.N. Sofos, J. Samelis, P.A. Kendall, and G. C. Smith. 2002. 

Destruction of acid-adapted and non-adapted Salmonella during drying and storage of 

beef jerky treated with marinade. Animal Sciences Research Report. Colorado State 
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Produced by Small and Very Small Plants 

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University. 

3. Calicioglu, M., J.N. Sofos, J. Samelis, P.A. Kendall, and G. C. Smith. 2003. Effects 

of acid adaptation and modified marinades on survival of postdrying Salmonella

contamination on beef jerky during storage. J. Food Prot 66(3):396-402. 

4. Eidson, M., C. M. Sewell, G. Graves and R. Olson. 2000. Beef jerky gastroenteritis 

outbreaks. Environ. Health 62:9-13. 

5. Faith, N. G., N. S. Le-Coutour, M. B. Alvarenga, M. Calicioglu, D. R. Buege and J. 

B. Luchansky. 1998. Viability of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in ground and formed 

beef jerky prepared at levels of 5 and 20% fat and dried at 52, 57, 63, or 68 degrees C 

in a home-style dehydrator. Int. J. Food Microbiol. 41 (3) p. 213-221. 

6. Goepfert, J. M., I. K. Iskander and C.H. Amundson. 1970. Relation of the heat 

resistance of salmonellae to the water activity of the environment. Appl. Microbiol. 

19(3):429-33. 

7. Goodfellow, S. J. and W. L. Brown. 1978. Fate of Salmonella inoculated into beef for 

cooking. J. Food Prot. 41(8):598-605. 

8. Harrison, J. A. and M. A. Harrison. 1996. Fate of Escherichia coli O157:H7, Listeria 

monocytogenes, and Salmonella typhimurium during preparation and storage of beef 

jerky. J. Food Prot. 59(12):1336-8. 

9. Harrison, J. A., M. A. Harrison, R. A. Rose-Morrow and R. L. Shewfelt. 2001. 

Home-style beef jerky: effect of four preparation methods on consumer acceptability 

and pathogen inactivation. J. Food Prot. 64(8):1194-98. 

10. Harrison, M. A., R. K. Singh, J. A. Harrison and N. Singh. 2006. Antimicrobial 

intervention and process validation in beef jerky processing. Available at: 

http://www.fsis.usda.gov/PDF/C-17_New_Technology_FY2004_Final_Report.pdf. 

Accessed 25 July 2006. 

11. Swayne, D. E. and J. R. Beck. 2005. Experimental study to determine if lowpathogenicity and high-pathogenicity avian influenza viruses can be present in 

chicken breast and thigh meat following intranasal virus inoculation. Avian Dis. 

49:81-85. 

12. Thomas, C. and D. E. Swayne. 2007. Thermal inactivation of H5N1 high 

pathogenicity avian influenza virus in naturally infected chicken meat. J. Food Prot. 

70(3):674-680.