Arkansas - Agricultural Communication Services - University of ...

The Impact of Multiple Antimicrobial Intervention Agents on
Ground Beef Sensory Properties
F. W. Pohlman, 1 M. R. Stivarius, 2 K. S. McElyea, 1 Z. B. Johnson, 1
and M.G. Johnson 3
Story in Brief
The effectiveness of multiple antimicrobial interventions on ground beef sensory characteristics through display
was studied. Beef trimmings were inoculated with Escherichia coli (EC) and Salmonella typhimurium (ST), then treated
with either 1) 5% acetic acid followed by 0.5% cetylpyridinium chloride (AC), 2) 200 ppm chlorine dioxide followed
by 0.5% cetylpyridinium chloride (CC), 3) 0.5% cetylpyridinium chloride followed by 10% trisodium phosphate (CT);
or 4) control (C). Trimmings were ground, packaged and sampled through display for sensory color and odor characteristics.
The CT treatment had less (P < 0.05) overall, worst point and percentage discoloration than C by day 7 of display.
Ground beef from the CC treated trimmings was similar (P > 0.05) in worst point color and percentage discoloration
to C through 3 days of display. Although minor differences existed initially, sensory panelists were unable to
detect (P > 0.05) beef odor or off odor differences between C, CC and CT treatments throughout display. Therefore,
treatment of beef trimmings with CC or CT before grinding did not impact sensory evaluated color or aroma of ground
beef during simulated retail display.
Introduction
In the wake of ground beef recalls, the safety of this
product remains of vital concern; therefore, considerable
research continues to be conducted for improving the safety
of meat products. It has been reviewed, that the use of single
decontamination interventions are effective for reducing
pathogens on carcass (Dickson and Anderson 1992; Siragusa,
1995). However, contamination resulting from carcass fabrication
can be carried through grinding operations, ultimately
contaminating the ground beef product. Therefore, it would
be advantageous to develop meat decontamination procedures
immediately prior to, or during, ground beef production.
The use of single intervention techniques during ground
beef manufacture has been relatively effective for reducing
microorganisms compared to carcass decontamination (Gill
and Bandoni, 1997; Dorsa et al., 1998). However, the use of
multiple antimicrobial treatments to decontaminate meat
before grinding might provide a greater barrier to microbial
survival in ground beef by taking advantage of different
weaknesses of differing microbial strains.
In addition to antimicrobial effectiveness another concern
is the impact of these treatments on meat color and odor.
Therefore, the objective of this research was to determine the
effects of an organic acid and other novel decontamination
compounds, used in combination, on sensory characteristics
of ground beef.
Experimental Procedures
Bacterial preparation and inoculation. Inoculums were
prepared from frozen (-80oC) stock cultures of Escherichia
coli (ATCC #11775; EC) and a nalidixic acid resistant strain
of Salmonella typhimurium (ATTC 1769NR; ST). E. coli was
maintained by brain heart infusion (BHI; Difco Laboratories,
Detroit, MI) broth with glycerol (20%), and Salmonella
typhimurium was maintained by BHI broth containing
nalidixic acid (Fisher Scientific, Fairlawn, NJ) with glycerol
(20%). Frozen cultures of E. coli and Salmonella typhimurium
were thawed, and 0.1 ml of E. coli suspension was inoculated
into separate 40 ml aliquots of BHI, and 0.1 ml of
Salmonella typhimurium suspension was inoculated into separate
40 ml aliquots of BHI with nalidixic acid. After 18
hours of incubation at 98.6°F, bacteria were harvested by centrifugation
(3649 x g for 20 min @ 98.6°F; Beckman GS-6
series, Fullerton, CA), re-suspended in the same volume of
0.1% buffered peptone water (BPW; Difco Laboratories,
Detroit, MI) and then pooled together (1600 ml of E. coli and
1600 ml of Salmonella typhimurium) to make a bacterial
cocktail. The cocktail (3200 ml; log 10 7 colony forming units
[CFU]/ml E. coli and log 10 7 CFU/ml Salmonella typhimurium)
was cooled to 39.2°F and combined with boneless beef
trimmings (28.2 lb) and allowed to attach for 1 hour. The
meat was then drained, separated into 7.8 lb batches, and
placed in a 39.2°F cooler for 12 to 14 hours to allow further
microbial attachment.
1 Department of Animal Science, Fayetteville.
2 Griffith Laboratories, Griffith Center, Alsip, IL 60658
3 Department of Food Science, Fayetteville.
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