Stability of SARS-CoV-2 as consequence of heating and microwave processing in meat products and bread

Abstract

The new severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that was first found in 2019 in Wuhan, China, caused coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). It then spread worldwide rapidly, causing the 2019–2020 coronavirus pandemic. To date, it has been indicated that various transmission ways might be participated in outbreaks of COVID-19. Among these, food products, whether raw or processed, might be carriers for SARS-CoV-2. Therefore, this study was aimed to evaluate the effect of cooking and microwave process of meat products and bread on the stability of SARS-CoV-2. In this regard, sausages and hamburger as meat products and toast bread were inoculated with a viral load of 5.70 log fifty percent tissue culture infective dose (TCID50)/mL in order to create a simulated cross-contamination condition. The results showed that frying of hamburger at 225ºC for about either 6 or 10 min resulted in complete inactivation of SARS-CoV-2. Furthermore, a 5-log decrease in SARS-CoV-2 load was observed in sausages as a consequence of cooking process at 78ºC for either 20 or 30 min. Additionally, the effect of microwave oven at power of 630 watt on stability of SARS-CoV-2 showed that exposing toast bread for either 30 s or 1 min in this power led to a 5-log decrease in SARS-CoV-2 load in the toast bread.