ABSTRACT: Ground beef, boneless skinless chicken breast meat, and boneless skinless trout fillets were inoculated with Escherichia coli O157:H7 and incubated to approximately 109 colony forming units per gram (CFU/g). Following incubation, temperature of the meat samples was equilibrated to −20, 4, and 22 °C. The meat samples at different temperatures were subjected to one‐sided electron beam (e‐beam) with fixed energy at 10 million electron volts (MeV) and doses at 0 (control), 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, 2.5, and 3.0 kGy. The survivors were enumerated using a standard spread‐plating method. The survivor curves were plotted on logarithmic scale as a function of e‐beam dose for each meat sample subjected to e‐beam at different temperatures. The D‐values were calculated as a negative reciprocal of the slope of the survivor curves. The D‐values for E. coli ranged from 0.22 to 0.35 kGy in trout at 4 °C and chicken at −20 °C, respectively. The D‐values were different between meat types. Regardless of temperature, E. coli in chicken had highest D‐value followed by beef and trout. The D‐values for E. coli in frozen samples were higher than D‐values in samples irradiated at 4 and 22 °C regardless of species. Although there were numerical differences between D‐values for samples subjected to e‐beam while chilled (4 °C) or frozen (−20 °C), they were statistically insignificant. Water radiolysis is considered as an indirect mechanism for microbial inactivation. Therefore, while the physical state of water (frozen or unfrozen) in foods seems the major contributor to microbial inactivation by e‐beam due to water radiolysis, product temperature most likely plays a minor role.