Abstract
The objective of this experiment was to compare the antimicrobial efficacy of an aqueous ozone intervention and a lactic acid solution on natural microbiota of variety meats in a commercial beef processing plant. EZ-Reach™ swabs were used to collect 100 cm2 area samples before and after ozone and lactic acid intervention application for three different offals (head, heart, and liver). Each repetition included 54 samples per variety meat and antimicrobial for a total of 162 samples per repetition. Enumeration of total aerobic bacteria (APC) and Escherichia coli (EC) was performed on each sample. Microbial counts for both microorganisms evaluated were significantly reduced (p < 0.001) after lactic acid immersion (2–5%) and ozone intervention for all variety meats, with the exception of ozone intervention in EC counts of the heart samples. APC after lactic acid intervention was reduced on average by 1.73, 1.66, and 1.50 Log CFU/sample in the head, heart, and liver, respectively, while after ozone intervention, counts were reduced on average by 1.66, 0.52, and 1.20 Log CFU/sample. EC counts after lactic acid intervention were reduced on average by 0.96, 0.79, and 1.00 Log CFU/sample in the head, heart, and liver, respectively, while after ozone intervention, counts were reduced on average by 0.75, 0.62, and 1.25 Log CFU/sample. The aqueous ozone antimicrobial scheme proved to be a promising intervention for the in-plant reduction of indicator levels in variety meats, specifically heads, hearts, and livers.
Highlights
In 2019, the United States produced almost 27.16 billion pounds of beef, including variety meats, of which 14.1% were exported [1,2]
Because increased levels of microbial populations and potential pathogens have been found in variety meats, and little information about interventions to reduce microbial contamination on variety meats is found in the literature on these highly important contributor products for food security, the objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of a novel ozone intervention on heads, hearts, and livers for reducing indicator microorganisms naturally present in variety meats in a commercial beef processing facility
This study provides data to support the relationship between TEMPO® and 3MTM PetrifilmTM enumeration technologies to support the validity of this study being conducted at different time periods and using different, but validated and comparable, microbial enumeration methods for the findings described in this study about the application of different interventions on variety meats in commercial processing facilities
Summary
In 2019, the United States produced almost 27.16 billion pounds of beef, including variety meats, of which 14.1% were exported [1,2]. Edible bovine by-products, called variety meats or offal, consist of edible internal organs such as head, heart, liver, and tripe, which can comprise up to 12% of the live weight of cattle, and which are an important source of beef protein for key consumer sectors in countries like Japan, China, Taiwan, Kenya, and Mexico [2]. In these countries, some variety meats are considered delicacies and are included as the main ingredient in some of the most important traditional dishes [3]. It is important that the edible offal used or incorporated into these types of products are treated with interventions that control the possible presence of pathogens to prevent illnesses and recalls due to contamination
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