Electron beam irradiation of raw ground beef patties in the Philippines: Microbial quality, sensory characteristics, and cost-analysis

Abstract

Radiation technology has been known to be an effective method to improve food safety. This study aimed to determine the effects of electron beam irradiation on microbial and sensorial qualities of beef patties and to evaluate whether this technology can be used as an alternative treatment in reducing pathogenic microorganisms in semi-processed meat for a defined period of time. Beef patties were prepared and stored at −18 °C and were irradiated at 2, 4, and 6 kGy. Exposure of beef patties at 2 kGy radiation dose significantly lowered the Aerobic Plate Count, Molds and Yeast Count, and Total Coliform as compared to non-irradiated (2.80 ± 0.01 log CFU/g vs. 5.00 ± 0.02 log CFU/g; 2.00 ± 0.01 log CFU/g vs. 3.40 ± 0.04 log CFU/g; and 1.00 ± 0.01 log CFU/g vs. 2.37 ± 0.87 log CFU/g, respectively) and exposure at higher doses further reduced the microbial load until the 7th month of storage. Electron beam irradiation is effective in reducing the microbial load of frozen beef patties with a dose as low as 2 kGy up to 7 months. These results are within the acceptable limit on meat paste/pate for aerobic microorganisms (4 Log CFU/g) and total coliform (1 Log CFU/g) set by the Philippine Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS). As for the sensorial qualities, irradiated beef patties were not significantly different to the non-irradiated samples. Lastly, the potential of EB-irradiation to enhance food safety while achieving an economy of scale was demonstrated in the study.