Inactivation of Human Norovirus GII.4’s Infectivity in Fresh Oysters (Crassostrea gigas) through Thermal Treatment in Association with Propidium Monoazide

The current study investigated the effects of heat treatment (85 °C or 100 °C for 5–20 min) on human norovirus (HuNoV) GII.4’s capsid stability in fresh oysters. In addition, propidium monoazide (PMA) was used in viral samples to distinguish infectious viruses and evaluated using real-time quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Further, we explored the effect of the heat treatment on oyster quality (Hunter color and hardness). The titer of HuNoV for oysters significantly (p < 0.05) decreased to 0.39–1.32 and 0.93–2.27 log10 copy number/μL in the non-PMA and PMA-treated groups, respectively, after heat treatment. HuNoV in oysters not treated with PMA showed a decrease of <1.5 − log10, whereas in PMA-treated oysters, a decrease of >1 − log10 was observed after treatment at 85 °C for 10 min. Treatments for both 15 min and 20 min at 100 °C showed a >99% log10 reduction using PMA/RT-qPCR. In the Hunter color, an increase in heat temperature and duration was associated with a significant decrease in ‘L’ (brightness+, darkness−) and an increase in ‘a’ (redness+, greenness−) and ‘b’ (yellowness+, blueness−) (p < 0.05). Our findings confirmed that the hardness of oyster meat significantly increased with increasing temperature and time (p < 0.05). This study demonstrated that PMA/RT-qPCR was effective in distinguishing HuNoV viability in heat-treated oysters. The optimal heat treatment for oysters was 10 min at 85 °C and 5 min at 100 °C.