Effects of meat pH and the initial numbers of spores of Clostridium estertheticum on the development of blown pack spoilage of vacuum‐packaged beef

Abstract

SummaryTo understand how the initial numbers of Clostridium estertheticum spores on, and the concentration of glucose in meat affect the development of blown pack spoilage, beef of pH ≤5.6 and of pH ≥5.8 was inoculated with the spores at various numbers, vacuum‐packaged and stored at 2 °C. For beef of pH ≤5.6, the volumes of packs inoculated with ≤10 spores did not change; and packs inoculated with ≥30 spores started swelling after 35 days, and the rate of volume increase increased with increasing number of inoculated spores. For beef of pH ≥5.8, packs inoculated 0, three or ten spores slackened, and packs inoculated with ≥30 spores became swollen at the end of storage, but to a much lesser degree than the corresponding packs of beef of pH ≤5.6. Glucose was reduced by 21 mm and depleted in the rinse fluids from swollen packs of beef of pH ≤5.6 and of pH ≥5.8, respectively.