Beef Jerky, which is a HTSS product relies primarily on _________ to achieve food safety:

• A. Cooking/Heat Treatment (lethality)
• B. Stabilization (cooling)
• C. Low water activity (drying)
• D. Fermentation

Answer: (A)

Beef jerky is designed so the primary safety barrier is a heat treatment that produces lethality. The cooking step raises the product to a high enough temperature for enough time to kill pathogens that could be present. After this lethal step, the drying reduces water activity to levels that inhibit any survivors from growing, helping maintain safety during storage. Cooling/stabilization occurs as part of processing but isn’t the main safety driver, and fermentation isn’t part of how beef jerky achieves safety. That’s why the heat treatment is the best answer.