Beef Meat Products Research Articles

GLOBAL MEAT MARKET

The paper deals with regional - comparative analysis of major world meat market and trade indices, as extremely important, inevitable and indispensable food product group in the human diet. It specially analyses trends, concerning regional differences in the volume, dynamics and structures of production and trade of beef and buffalo meat, pork, poultry meat and sheep and goat meat. Regions, i.e. countries, the largest producers and largest exporters and importers of these products have been defined. Pursuant to the above - mentioned, it was found that there are very significant regional differences due to numerous natural, economic and social factors. In the analysis of relations and the degree of influence of aforementioned factors on changes and development directions of the observed phenomenon, quantitative and qualitative market research methods were used.

Estimated Compliance for Removal of Specified Risk Materials from 18 U.S. Beef Packing Plants

The removal of 18,345 specified risk materials was observed during audits of 18 U.S. beef processing facilities that, in total, account for over 90% of total U.S. beef slaughtered. Audited plants varied in capacity (280 to 6,000 head per day) and processed both “fed (young cattle)” and “nonfed (mature cows/bulls)” cattle. When all observations for removal of specified risk materials were combined from plants and adjusted for type of cattle processed, overall compliance with specified risk material removal regulations was 98.08%. A 100% compliance rate for removal of brains and distal ileums was recorded based on a total of 600 observations for removal of brains and a total of 2,400 observations for removal of distal ileums. Observations for removal of dorsal root ganglia were collected from 16 of the 18 plants, and overall compliance for dorsal root ganglia removal was 99.6% (4,783 of 4,800). Fifteen of the 16 plants were 100% compliant. For tonsils, data from 18 plants were collected, and tonsils were correctly removed from 92.8% (4,777 of 5,145) of tongues and heads. Data for spinal cord removal were collected from 18 plants, and the spinal cord was removed completely in line with U.S. Department of Agriculture–Food Safety and Inspection Service regulations for 99.43% of the observations. Based on the results of this study, packing plants have demonstrated that they are complying with regulations for removal of specified risk materials from beef meat products intended for human consumption greater than 98% of the time. To continue to assure food safety and consumer confidence, continued vigilance and provision of training programs for plant workers are essential.

A comparison of antibiotic resistance integrons in cattle from separate beef meat production systems at slaughter

To compare antibiotic resistance integrons in cattle from three separate grass-fed, grain-fed and certified organic cattle production systems at slaughter. In this study 198 samples from three separate cattle production systems were tested by PCR for the presence of class 1 and class 2 integrons. Integron-containing bacteria were readily isolated from pen faeces and hide samples regardless of production system. Lower numbers of integron-containing bacteria were isolated from the remaining sample types. Ninety-one class 1 and 34 class 2 integron-containing bacteria were isolated. Characterization of the integrons demonstrated a high degree of similarity across the three production systems with aadA1 and aadA2 routinely present. Integrons harbouring the cassette array cmlA5-bla(OXA-10)-aadA1 and the putative insertion sequence IS1066 were isolated from organic and grass-fed cattle and have not been described previously. Integrons carrying antibiotic resistance genes were common in cattle from differing production systems at slaughter and the likelihood of presence appears unrelated to the production system. Similar integron arrays are present in different cattle production systems suggesting that their presence may be independent of production practices. This is the first report of two novel integron structures present in Aeromonas.

Budgetary Implications of, and Motives for, Converting to Organic Farming: Case Study Farm Business Evidence from Great Britain

ABSTRACT This paper explores the financial implications of converting to organic farming in Great Britain through a case study of farmers considering conversion in 2002. Most study farmers were motivated to convert for financial, not ideological or life-style reasons; organic meat production was the most common planned enterprise, although those choosing to produce milk, vegetables and cereals were also studied in depth. At the time of study, organic beef and sheep meat production was particularly profitable. It was found that, in these product sectors, a large improvement in Family Farm Income would result if organic production was introduced on the case study farms. With few exceptions, a fall in Family Farm Income during the conversion period would not be an obstacle to farmers changing to organic methods. Fixed cost changes would also not deter conversion but expensive investment in new livestock and appropriate buildings would be required by some of those businesses studied. These findings are, however, dependent upon the price premia assumptions used and, whilst these premia have dropped slightly since the time of study, this would lessen the financial shortfall during the conversion period. There is also the possibility that reversion to conventional agricultural production might occur, perhaps at a faster rate than the original conversion process that was taking place around the turn of the century.

In vivo body measures and growth of Holstein Friesian and double muscled Marchigiana or Belgian Blue crosses

The beef meat production must be improved in order to reduce the imports. To increase the muscle development and therefore to improve the valuable cuts, the crossbreed between dairy cows and beef sire can be utilized. A double muscled Marchigiana calf called Cicoria, found in a farm of the Ancona province, allowed to suppose in this breed the same strategy followed in other meat breeds (as Piemontese or Belgian Blue) that are utilized to obtain crosses with dairy cows. In this work the performance of crossbreeds between double muscled Marchigiana sire and Holstein cows are tested.Twelve Holstein Friesian were utilized; six of them were inseminated with Belgian Blue sires (BB) namely Derobe, Amiral and Eldorado, while the other six ones with the semen of a Marchigiana (M) sire (Osso), homozygous for the mutation at the myostatin gene, that causes the muscular hypertrophy in this breed. In this trial were therefore utilized twelve animals, six of which from the cross with the Marchigiana sire (three males and three females) and six from the cross with the Belgian Blue sire (two males and four females). To evaluate the growth of the calves the weight was monthly recorded with an electronic scale, together with body measures. To improve the accuracy, the measures were taken two times. On all the traits a GLM was performed according to a model concerning with the factors: genotype, sex, repetition and interactions. Only for the weight the linear regression on age was tested separately for the two genotypes and sexes. All the statistical analysis were performed by software SAS.The GLM analysis showed that differences between the two genotypes in almost all the traits are not significant. The main exceptions was width of thorax from 7 to 13 months of age where the significance level ranged from 0.05 (7 months) to 0.006 (13 months) with measures always bigger in BB (34.4, 37.9, 40.6, 42.3, 43.8, 44.5, 46.8) than in M (32.1, 34.6, 36.4, 41.0, 40.3, 41.3, 42.8). An other trait (width of shoulders) showed a significant interactions (P from 0.03 to 0.01) genotype * sex in the growth period 9-13 months. As a matter of fact in this trait a constant superiority of BB was observed in the males (41.8, 43.5, 46.3, 47.5, vs 38.5, 39.0, 40.3, 43.3), on the contrary in the females the shoulders were larger in M (39.0, 40.5, 43.0, 44.3 vs 37.3, 40.5, 41.5, 42.5). Also the regression parameters in the different genotypes and sexes were quite similar; the intercept (birth weight) ranged from 31.6 (M, F) to37.1 (BB, M) and the b coefficient (daily gain) ranged from 1.33 (BB, M) to 1.08 (BB, F).Finally, it’s necessary to take into consideration that M crosses were obtained by just one sire not genetically tested, while the BB crosses were obtained by sires qualified for the artificial insemination and with a high genetic index. Also if has to be taken into account the size of the experimental sample, it’s possible to conclude that the utilization of double muscled Marchigiana sire on dairy cows can allow the same performances obtained by the more used BB sires.

Lead and cadmium in meat and meat products consumed by the population in Tenerife Island, Spain

The aim of this study was to determine the levels of lead and cadmium in chicken, pork, beef, lamb and turkey samples (both meat and meat products), collected in the island of Tenerife (Spain). Lead and cadmium were measured by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS). Mean concentrations of lead and cadmium were 6.94 and 1.68 µg kg−1 in chicken meat, 5.00 and 5.49 µg kg−1 in pork meat, 1.91 and 1.90 µg kg−1 in beef meat and 1.35 and 1.22 µg kg−1 in lamb meat samples, respectively. Lead was below the detection limit in turkey samples and mean cadmium concentration was 5.49 µg kg−1. Mean concentrations of lead and cadmium in chicken meat product samples were 3.16 and 4.15 µg kg−1, 4.89 and 6.50 µg kg−1 in pork meat product, 6.72 and 4.76 µg kg−1 in beef meat product and 9.12 and 5.98 µg kg−1 in turkey meat product samples, respectively. The percentage contribution of the two considered metals to provisional tolerable weekly intake (PTWI) was calculated for meat and meat products. Statistically significant differences were found for lead content in meats between the chicken and pork groups and the turkey and beef groups, whereas for cadmium concentrations in meats, significant differences were observed between the turkey and chicken, beef and lamb groups. In meat products, no clear differences were observed for lead and cadmium between the various groups.

Inhibition of Staphylococcus aureus on beef by nisin-containing modified alginate films and beads

Nisin, a bacteriocin, was immobilized into palmitoylated alginate-based films or in activated alginate beads. Sterile beef muscle slices or ground beef were inoculated with Staphylococcus aureus at a level of 10 4 CFU/g. Sliced beef was then coated with palmitoylated alginate-based films containing 0, 500 or 1000 IU/mL of nisin. Also, ground beef was mixed with 0, 500 or 1000 IU/mL of nisin covalently linked to activated alginate beads in order to evaluate the effect of nisin concentration on S. aureus level. The content of S. aureus in beef was determined during storage at 4 °C. Results demonstrated that after 7 days of storage, a reduction of 0.91 and 1.86 log CFU/cm 2 was observed on sliced beef covered with film containing 500 or 1000 IU/mL of nisin, respectively. After 14 days of storage, when nisin solution (500 or 1000 IU/g) was mixed with ground beef, 2.2 and 2.81 log CFU/g reductions of S. aureus counts were respectively observed. However, when nisin (500 or 1000 IU/g) was linked into activated alginate beads, 1.77 and 1.93 log CFU/g reductions of S. aureus counts were respectively observed ( P ⩽ 0.05). These results suggest that sterile, hydrophobic and biodegradable films or beads incorporating various amounts of nisin could be used efficiently to control the growth of pathogens or microorganisms responsible of spoilage at the surface of round beef or other meat products.

Effet d’un régime riche en acides gras ω3 et en CLA 9-cis, 11-transsur l’insulinorésistance et les paramètres du diabète de type 2

The prevalence of type 2 diabetes, a pathology mainly induced by nutrition is increasing. In vivo studies on rat have demonstrated the interest of n-3 long chains polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 LC PUFA) and conjugated linoleic acids (CLA) in the diet to improve insulin sensibility. This study investigates the effect of a diet with products (linseed enriched livestock diet products and linseed bread) naturally enriched in n-3 PUFA and CLA 9-cis, 11-trans on glycemic parameters of type 2 diabetics. 44 type 2 diabetics were randomised in three parallel groups and followed a particular diet during 100 days. The three diets: diet A (n = 13), enriched in n-3 PUFA via bread, eggs and pastas, diet B (n = 13), enriched in n-3 PUFA and richer in conjugated linoleic acids (CLA) via bread, eggs, pastas, beef meat and dairy products and diet T (n = 18), standard, were otherwise similar in energy (1970 kcal per day) and type of food. The serum value of the ALA is significantly higher for group A and B and the CLA serum value is significantly higher for the group B only at the end of the study. At the end of the study, fasting insulinemia is lower in group B compared with group A (p = 0,06) and T (p < 0,05) while glycemia does not differ between groups. Insulin resistance is also lower in group B compared with groups A and T, but the differences do not reach significance (p = 0,08 and p = 0,1 respectively). These results suggest the potential implication of CLA 9-cis, 11-trans in a diet rich in ALA in the improvement of insulin sensitivity.

Belgian Surveillance Plans To Assess Changes in Salmonella Prevalence in Meat at Different Production Stages

From 1997 to 1999, the prevalence of Salmonella was assessed at different stages through the pork, poultry, and beef meat production chains. Different dilutions of the initial sample suspension were analyzed to provide a semiquantitative evaluation of Salmonella contamination and to determine the most representative dilution necessary to detect a reduction in prevalence. An average of 300 samples for each type of meat were analyzed. According to Fisher's exact test, the dilution to be used to detect a reduction in prevalence was chosen based on an initial prevalence of 20 to 26%. Based on this introductory study, a new sampling plan representative of the nationwide Belgian meat production process was used from 2000 through to 2003. This study confirmed the consistently high rate and level of contamination of poultry meat: broiler and layer carcasses were the most contaminated samples followed by broiler fillets and poultry meat preparations. A constant and significant decrease in Salmonella prevalence was observed for pork carcasses, trimmings, and minced meat and for beef minced meat. Less than 3% of beef carcasses and trimming samples were positive for Salmonella. The Belgian plan, as utilized from 2000 to 2003, was suitable for monitoring of zoonoses because the sampling plan was representative of nationwide production processes, covered all periods of the year, and was executed by trained samplers and the analyses were carried out by recognized laboratories using an identical analytical method.

Composição física da carcaça e qualidade da carne de vacas de descarte de diferentes grupos genéticos terminadas em confinamento com distintos pesos

O objetivo neste experimento foi avaliar a composição física e as características qualitativas da carne de vacas de descarte mestiças da segunda (G2 - 3/4Charolês (C) 1/4Nelore (N) e 3/4NC) e terceira gerações (G3 - 5/8CN e 5/8NC) de cruzamento rotativo Charolês - Nelore terminadas em confinamento e abatidas com 465, 507 ou 566 kg. Os animais apresentaram na média, no início do confinamento 8,5 anos, 388,6 kg e 2,35 pontos de escore da condição corporal. A dieta alimentar, com relação volumoso:concentrado de 48:52, continha 12,5% de proteína bruta e 2,99 Mcal de energia digestível por kg de matéria seca. Houve redução da participação de ossos (16,55; 15,84 e 12,72%) e músculo (63,50; 60,05; 60,69%) e incremento da percentagem de gordura (19,85; 24,32; 28,08%, respectivamente) na carcaça com o aumento do peso de abate. O ganho de peso da porção comestível da carcaça entre os pesos de abate extremos foi 77,36 kg, sendo 37,32 kg de músculo (48,24%) e 40,04 kg de gordura (51,76%). A maciez, quando avaliada pela força de cizalhamento, melhorou significativamente na carne dos animais abatidos com peso mais elevado (4,94, 4,89 e 3,89 kgf/cm³, respectivamente). A carne das vacas 5/8NC apresentou coloração mais escura (2,87 pontos) que a das vacas 5/8CN (4,0 pontos). A carne dos animais da G3 foi mais macia que a dos animais G2 (4,16 vs 4,99 kgf/cm³). Carne mais suculenta foi observada em vacas 5/8NC que nas 5/8CN (6,49 vs 4,16 pontos), em razão da menor perda à cocção das 5/8NC (17,61 vs 23,33%). O aumento do peso de abate de vacas de descarte é um bom recurso para elevar rapidamente a produção de carne bovina, melhorando inclusive significativamente sua qualidade.

Meta‐Analysis of Food Safety Information Based on a Combination of a Relational Database and a Predictive Modeling Tool

The management of microbial risk in food products requires the ability to predict growth kinetics of pathogenic microorganisms in the event of contamination and growth initiation. Useful data for assessing these issues may be found in the literature or from experimental results. However, the large number and variety of data make further development difficult. Statistical techniques, such as meta-analysis, are then useful to realize synthesis of a set of distinct but similar experiences. Moreover, predictive modeling tools can be employed to complete the analysis and help the food safety manager to interpret the data. In this article, a protocol to perform a meta-analysis of the outcome of a relational database, associated with quantitative microbiology models, is presented. The methodology is illustrated with the effect of temperature on pathogenic Escherichia coli and Listeria monocytogenes, growing in culture medium, beef meat, and milk products. Using a database and predictive models, simulations of growth in a given product subjected to various temperature scenarios can be produced. It is then possible to compare food products for a given microorganism, according to its growth ability in these products, and to compare the behavior of bacteria in a given foodstuff. These results can assist decisions for a variety of questions on food safety.

Meat labels: consumer attitude and meat consumption pattern

AbstractThis paper addressed consumers’ attitude towards food labels and the influence of different aspects of meat labels on beef, poultry and seafood consumption using data from a national survey in the USA. Approximately 70% of the respondents reported that food labels helped in the purchases of beef and other meat products. While 50% thought that the present level of information on meat labels was about right, about 30% thought that it was insufficient. Similarly, 80, 81, 60, and 80% of the respondents thought that it was very important that meat labels contain information regarding nutrition, ingredients, health claim, and production process respectively. Those respondents who thought that nutrition and ingredient information on food labels were very important also thought that meat labels helped them select beef and other meat products. Consumer preferences for nutrition and ingredient information on food labels were positively related with meat consumption frequency.

Comparison of a pulp-based diet and a cereal-based diet in the fattening of young bulls from Belgian Blue, Limousin and Aberdeen Angus breeds

Performances traits like live weight gain, feed conversion ratio or carcass quality were in the past the main objectives in beef meat production. Nowadays consumers attach an increasingly large importance to technological and nutritional qualities. In terms of dietetic, a low fat content associated with a high polyunsaturated fatty acids content and a low n-6/n-3 ratio is required. In this context, the present work was undertaken to compare performances and meat characteristics in young fattening bulls of 3 beef breeds offered 2 different diets.

Isolation of Penicillium nalgiovense strains impaired in penicillin production by disruption of the pcbAB gene and application as starters on cured meat products

The presence of some fungi on a variety of food products, like cheeses or cured meat products, is beneficial for the ripening of the product and for the development of specific flavour features. The utilization of these fungi as starters, which are inoculated normally as asexual spores on the food products at the beginning of the ripening process, is becoming a usual procedure in the food industry. The starter culture also prevents undesirable fungi or bacteria from growing on the product. Penicillium nalgiovense is the most frequently used starter for cured and fermented meat products, but the fact that this fungus can secrete penicillin to the meat product makes it important to get strains unable to synthesize this antibiotic. In this work we report that P. nalgiovense strains impaired in penicillin production can be obtained by disruption of the pcbAB gene (the first gene of the penicillin biosynthetic pathway). When applied as starter on cecina (a salted, smoke-cured beef meat product from the region of León, Spain), the pcbAB-disrupted strain showed no differences with respect to the parental penicillin-producing strain in its ability to colonize the meat pieces and to control their normal mycoflora. Both strains exerted a similar control on the presence of bacteria in cecina. A similar proportion of penicillin-sensitive and penicillin-resistant bacteria were isolated from pieces inoculated with the penicillin-producing or the non-producing P. nalgiovense strains. The decrease of the bacterial population on the surface of cecina seems to be due to the higher competition for nutrients as a consequence of the inoculation and development of the P. nalgiovense mycelium and not due to the production of penicillin by this fungus. Penicillin production was less affected than growth in a solid medium with high NaCl concentrations; this suggests that the high salt concentration present in cecina is not a limiting factor for penicillin production by P. nalgiovense.

Evaluation of a novel enrichment procedure for the isolation of Escherichia coli O157 from naturally contaminated raw beef, lamb and mixed meat products

The aim of this study was to compare enrichment at 41·5°C for 24 h in a prototype enrichment broth developed by Oxoid, UK (sTSB), with enrichment at 37°C for 6 h in buffered peptone water supplemented with vancomycin, cefixime and cefsulodin (BPW-VCC) for isolation of Escherichia coli O157 from naturally contaminated raw beef, lamb and mixed meat products.A total of 120 meat samples from previous surveillance studies, 91 of which were previously positive and 29 previously negative for E. coli O157, were used for the study. All had been stored at −70°C for between 19 and 58 months since first examination. Of the 91 previously positive samples, 67 were positive after enrichment in sTSB and 42 were positive after enrichment in BPW-VCC;E.coli O157 was not recovered from 20 previously positive samples by either method. Of the 29 previously negative samples, three were positive by enrichment in sTSB and two were positive by enrichment in BPW-VCC;E.coli O157 was not recovered from 25 previously negative samples by either method.Of the 71 isolates obtained from the meat samples, only 53 had the same toxin genotype and plasmid profile as the E.coli O157 isolated from the sample originally. On four occasions, the strain isolated originally, the strain isolated from re-culture in BPW-VCC and the strain isolated from sTSB were all different. The only feasible explanation for these differences is that two or more different strains of E.coli O157 were present in the original sample. Results of strain typing ofE.coli O157 isolated from food samples, particularly during an outbreak investigation, should therefore be interpreted with caution.

Comparison of culture, PCR and immunoassays for detecting Escherichia coli O157 following enrichment culture and immunomagnetic separation performed on naturally contaminated raw meat products

The aims of this study were (i) to evaluate the specificity and sensitivity of three previously described PCR assays for the detection of Escherichia coli O157 and, (ii) to compare PCR, culture, and two visual immunoassays (VIAs), BioSign™ and Path-Stik™, for detecting E. coli O157 after enrichment culture and immunomagnetic separation (IMS) performed on various naturally contaminated raw beef, lamb and mixed meat products. Twelve sorbitol nonfermenting (SNF) verocytotoxin-producing (VT+) E. coli O157, 6 SNF VT− E. coli O157, 4 sorbitol fermenting (SF) VT+ E. coli O157, 3 SF VT− E. coli O157, 23 E. coli belonging to 17 other serogroups and 12 organisms of other species were used to check the specificity of PCR reactions. Only one primer pair generated amplimers only with E. coli O157 and was used for all subsequent work. After enrichment culture and on inoculated minced beef samples, PCR was as sensitive as culture for detecting 9 of the 12 strains of E. coli O157, but up to 4 log 10 more sensitive than culture for detecting three strains. Of the 120 samples of naturally contaminated meat products examined, 80 (67%) were positive by PCR, 70 (58%) were positive by BioSign™, 69 (58%) were positive by culture and 67 (56%) were positive by Path-Stik™. Although both VIAs lacked sensitivity when compared to PCR, both compared favourably with culture and both were extremely rapid and easy to perform, giving a result in less than 15 min. Eleven samples were positive by PCR and both VIAs, but negative by culture because culture plates were heavily overgrown with SF organisms, making detection of any E. coli O157 present impossible.

IMMUNOLOGICAL AND CYTOPATHOGENIC PROPERTIES OF LISTERIA MONOCYTOGENES ISOLATED FROM NATURALLY CONTAMINATED MEATS

ABSTRACT Meat products have been implicated as the potential source of Listeria monocytogenes infection in humans. Here, we investigated the incidence of this organism in raw beef and poultry meat products and assessed their biochemical, immunological and cytopathogenic properties. Forty meat samples (20 beef and 20 poultry) were analyzed and the isolates were tested for sugar fermentation, hemolysin production, phospholipase activity, serotype profile, abilities to react with Listeria‐specific monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) EM‐7G1 and C11E9, and cytotoxic effects on hybridoma Ped‐2E9 cells. Thirteen (6 beef and 7 poultry) meat samples (32.5%) were positive for L. monocytogenes. A total of 276 Listeria isolates were obtained, of which 182 (66%) were confirmed to be L. monocytogenes, 80 (29%) were L. innocua, 12 (4.3%) were L. welshimeri and 2 (0.7%) were identified as L. grayi. Fifty six percent of the L. monocytogenes isolates were serotype 4, while 42% were serotype 1, and 2% were untypeable. All but two L. monocytogenes isolates were hemolytic and phospholipase positive (99%). In the ELISA assay, MAb C11E9 showed reaction with L. monocytogenes isolates from all 13 positive meat samples (100%), while MAb EM‐7G1 reacted positively with 12 of 13 positive meat samples (92.3%). Hemolysin‐positive L. monocytogenes isolates were cytopathogenic to Ped‐2E9 cells, while hemolysin‐negative strains showed no effect. This study demonstrated that 32.5% of commercially purchased raw meat products were contaminated with cytopathogenic L. monocytogenes strains, and could be a potential source for infection in susceptible populations if these meats were not processed or cooked properly.

Comparison between growing fattening bulls finished at grass or indoors : i. animal performances and carcass composition

In Belgium, about one third of beef meat production is based on fattening of bulls from double muscle type (IEA. 1993). Young bulls are generally fattened from about 300 to 600 kg in stanchion barns, they may however spend one season on pasture before a finishing period indoor (Dufrasne et al., 1995). This technic allows a meat production which corresponds to the market demand, with low costs of production associated with grazing. Scarce data are available on carcass characteristics of Belgian bulls slaughtered after a grazing period. In the present experiment, we compared animal performances and carcass composition of bulls which completed a full fattening period either on pasture or indoors.

Comparison between growing fattening bulls finished at grass or indoors : i. animal performances and carcass composition

In Belgium, about one third of beef meat production is based on fattening of bulls from double muscle type (IEA. 1993). Young bulls are generally fattened from about 300 to 600 kg in stanchion barns, they may however spend one season on pasture before a finishing period indoor (Dufrasne et al., 1995). This technic allows a meat production which corresponds to the market demand, with low costs of production associated with grazing. Scarce data are available on carcass characteristics of Belgian bulls slaughtered after a grazing period. In the present experiment, we compared animal performances and carcass composition of bulls which completed a full fattening period either on pasture or indoors.

Microbial succession and identification of Micrococcaceae in dried beef cecina, an intermediate moisture meat product

Changes in the microflora of Spanish cecina (a salted dried and smoked beef meat product) during ripening were investigated. Twenty-one cecinas divided into seven groups of three pieces each were studied. Cecinas were sampled internally and externally, and the following microbial groups were studied: salt tolerant flora, Micrococcaceae , lactic acid bacteria and yeasts. The results obtained indicated that Micrococcaceae constituted the predominant flora both on the surface and in the interior of the pieces throughout the curing period. The values obtained were higher on the surface (10 7 cfu g −1 ) than in the deep tissue (10 3 –10 4 cfu g −1 ). Yeast and lactic acid bacteria were also found in considerable numbers in both locations. Identification of the 159 isolates belonging to the family Micrococcaceae revealed that 81% belonged to the genus Staphylococcus and include the species S. equorum (43%), S. xylosus (29%), S. saprophyticus (11%) and S. simulans (8%) as the most abundant species. The remainder belonged to the genus Micrococcus (11%) or were unknown (8%). The proportions of Staphylococcus spp. and Micrococcus spp. varied with salt content and water activity. Variations in pH did not appear to influence the microbiology of this product.