Effect of Different Smoking Methods on Quality and Safety of Beef Meat

Abstract

Meat products may be contaminated during the smoking process by carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Our study investigated the effect of smoking methods using sawdust wood and liquid smoke solution on the presence of PAHs in beef meat. The results showed that smoked beef meat with liquid smoke had moisture content (40.66% wet basis) higher than smoked beef meat with sawdust wood (37.88% wet basis) after the smoking process directly. Total phenolic content decreased from 34.45 to 27.47 mg GAE/100g in smoked beef meat with liquid smoke, while it decreased from 34.26 to 30.89 mg GAE/100g in smoked beef meat with sawdust wood after refrigerated storage at 4oC for 3 weeks. The TBA values ranged between 0.101 to 0.499 and 0.094 to 0.239 mg malonaldehyde/ kg sample in smoked beef meat with liquid smoke and smoked beef meat with sawdust wood, respectively during refrigerated storage at 4°C for 3 weeks. The TVC ranged from 4.2x103 to 3.5 x105 and 6.2 x103 to 9.7 x105 CFU/g in smoked beef meat with liquid smoke and smoked beef meat with sawdust wood, respectively after refrigerated storage at 4°C for 2 weeks. The hydrocarbon compounds were separated by GC-MS and the results showed that the absence of ketones, alkanes, and aldehydes, reduction in aromatic compounds by 33%, and increment in esters by 87.5 % in smoked beef meat with liquid smoke compared to smoked beef meat with sawdust wood. Generally, the smoked beef meat with liquid smoke was more healthy and safe than smoked beef meat with sawdust wood.