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ARS Home » Plains Area » Clay Center, Nebraska » U.S. Meat Animal Research Center » Meat Safety and Quality » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #398808
Research Project: Holistic Tactics to Advance the Microbiological Safety and Quality of the Red Meat Continuum

Location: Meat Safety and Quality

Title: Efficacy of short thermal treatment time against Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella on the surface of fresh beef

Author
item Kalchayanand, Norasak - Nor
item Wang, Rong
item BROWN, TED - Cargill, Incorporated
item Wheeler, Tommy

Submitted to: Journal of Food Protection
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/7/2023
Publication Date: 3/1/2023
Citation: Kalchayanand, N., Wang, R., Brown, T., Wheeler, T.L. 2023. Efficacy of short thermal treatment time against Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella on the surface of fresh beef. Journal of Food Protection. 86(3). Article 100040. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfp.2023.100040.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfp.2023.100040

Interpretive Summary: Heat treatments provide effective pathogen reduction. However, heat treatment results in some discoloration of meat surfaces, and maintaining the high treatment temperature is very costly. Beef processors need, however, to identify dwell times and temperatures of heat application that optimize the effect of pathogen reductions. The findings indicate that short heat treatment time is effective and could be implemented as a part of a multi-hurdle processing system to improve meat safety and to reduce risk of foodborne pathogens associated with beef and beef products while maintaining product quality.

Technical Abstract: Thermal treatment interventions consistently provide effective pathogen reductions. However, the cost of maintaining high temperature of 95°C in order to raise the surface temperature of carcasses to 82°C is very expensive. Therefore, beef processors need to identify thermal application times and temperatures that optimize the treatment effects with less maintenance cost. The objectives of this study were to determine the efficacy of hot water or steam at 71°C for 6 s and cascade e-ion plasma treatment for 2 s in reducing pathogens on the surface of fresh beef compared to the thermal treatment at 82°C for 15 s. Hot water at 71°C for 6 s reduced Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella by 2.38 and 2.48 log CFU/cm2 , while steam treatment at 71°C for 6 s reduced E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella by 2.94 and 3.06 log CFU/cm2 , respectively. Cascade e-ion plasma treatment for 2 s reduced E. coli O157:H7 on surface of fresh beef by 1.89 log CFU/cm2 . The findings indicate that short treatment time with appropriate temperature could serve as an effective carcass intervention to improve the safety of fresh beef.