Application of Multiple Antimicrobial Interventions for Microbial Decontamination of Commercial Beef Trim

摘要

Commercially produced, irregularly sized (range, 100 to 400 cm~2), uninoculated beef trim was treated by a previously optimized multihurdle antimicrobial process under spray system or hot air gun with set-up speed (1 cm/s): W (water wash at 65 psi for five passes) + HW (82 deg C water at 30 psi for three passes) + HA (510 deg C air for five passes) + L (2/100 [vol/vol] room temperature lactic acid wash at 30 psi for three passes). After treatment, the trim was finely ground, vacuum packaged, and stored at 4 deg C for up to 20 days. At regular intervals (0, 5, 10, 15, and 20 days of storage at 4 deg C), the ground beef was analyzed to measure mesophilic aerobic bacteria (APC), coliforms, psychrotrophic bacteria (PCT), and presumptive lactic acid bacteria (PLAB) and compared with the untreated control.