Abstract
Comparative efficacy of sodium lactate and Natamycin as preservative against discoloration and spoilage of fresh beef stored at 4 °C were evaluated. Fresh beef was treated with 3 g/L sodium lactate and Natamycin, respectively, and sterilized physiological saline was used as negative control. The spoilage of beef samples was monitored by pH, total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N), discoloration, sensory analysis and bacterial quality which were determined by culture-dependent and culture-independent analyses. The acceptable shelf life of fresh beef treated by sodium lactate and Natamycin reached 6 days and 4 days, respectively. Whereas, the control sample was acceptable for 3 days. The two kinds of preservative were conducive to hygiene levels improvement. Lactobacillus spp. and Weissella spp. sharply displaced the Ralstoni spp. with high potential spoilage and became the predominant bacteria, and the proliferation of Serratia spp. as the representatives’ genus of psychrotrophic Enterobacteriaceae were completely controlled in the preservative treated samples. Sodium lactate displayed a remarkable efficacy against discoloration and spoilage of chilled beef, resulting in shelf life extension by 3-4 days. Natamycin has a remarkable antibacterial efficacy but a little efficacy against discoloration. Thus, sodium lactate is more suitable for freshness promotion of chilled beef.
Highlights
Fresh beef is favored by the customers for its good taste and abundant nutrients, which is a large part of the human diet in many countries and a great part of the food industry
Any deviations from the norm in terms of pH will affect color intensity, water holding capacity and spoilage. These results revealed that sodium lactate and Natamycin as preservative contributed to pH stabilization, resulting in quality improvement of chilled beef
These results were in line with those results reported by Sallam & Samejima (2004) and Liu et al (2020), who found that sodium lactate and Natamycin were conducive to pH stabilization for chilled beef, and sodium lactate was more effective
Summary
Fresh beef is favored by the customers for its good taste and abundant nutrients, which is a large part of the human diet in many countries and a great part of the food industry. Due to the influence of both enzymatic and microbial reactions, fresh beef is highly perishable and has quite short storage life postmortem under chilled storage (4-5 °C) (Magrinyà et al, 2015). Spoilage of raw beef during production and sales will result in a waste problem and potential microbial safety hazards for the public health (Yang et al, 2017). The way to extend beef shelf life is of great importance for both customers and meat industries. Discoloration and microbial growth are primarily responsible for unacceptable and spoilage, resulting in a short shelf-life and severe retail waste (Yang et al, 2018). The efficacy of preservation technology for controlling color stability and microbial growth, especially for spoilage and pathogenic microorganisms, is critical capability for freshness and shelf life extension of fresh beef
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