LAUSR

Abstract In China, edible shellfish are recognized as foods potentially at high risk of contamination with human Norovirus (HuNoV) and Vibrio parahaemolyticus. In this study, the antimicrobial effects of Chinese rice wine on HuNoV surrogates (MS2 and MNV-1) and V. parahaemolyticus in pickled mud snails immersed at different temperatures were evaluated. The optimized conditions for the wine treatment were also determined by assessing the color, odor, off-flavor, taste, and texture of the mud snails. Treatment with Chinese rice wine and immersion at 16 °C for 6 h were found to be the most effective conditions for reducing the incidence of MS2, MNV-1, and V. parahaemolyticus in the wine-treated mud snails with minimal changes to food quality. Using the nonlinear Weibull model, we show that the minimal TR values (the time required to reduce the population of pathogens by 90%) for MNV-1 (0.436 h), MS2 (0.363 h), and V. parahaemolyticus (0.202 h) were obtained for the rice-wine-containing shellfish immersed at 16 °C. Therefore, Chinese rice wine can be used as an antimicrobial agent against HuNoV and V. parahaemolyticus in wine-treated Bullacta exarata.