Hurdle Processing of Slight Acid Electrolyzed Water with Fumaric Acid for Bacterial Inactivation and Shelf-life Extension of Beef Meat from Slaughterhouse

Introduction: The consumption of foods contaminated with pathogenic microorganisms represents a wide economic and public health impact worldwide. Meat is a rich nutrient matrix that provides a suitable environment for proliferation of spoilage microorganisms and foodborne pathogens. The consumption of contaminated meat represents a wide economic and public impact worldwide. Reduction of microbiological contamination levels in meat products could reduce the burden of foodborne disease and decrease economic losses and public health impact.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate immediate and storage the hurdle processing effect of SAEW and FA on the inactivation of selected bacteria. In particular, quality decay of the investigated product was assessed by monitoring the following microbiological and sensorial quality of beef from slaughterhouse.

Methods: Inoculated meats were dipped for 1, 3, and 5 min immersed at 25, 40, and 60°C to evaluate the effect of temperature. The following dipping solutions were used either alone or in combination. Treated meat samples were treated were air-packaged using stomacher bag and storage at 4 or 10ºC. During storage, sampling was carried out at 2-day intervals for microbiological changes and sensory changes. A weighted sensory quality was calculated using sensory index equation. Data were subjected to analysis of variance (P < 0.05).

Results: Exposure time and temperature showed significant difference in sanitization potency against tested bacteria when compared to TW. Hurdle processing at 40°C exhibited a reduction of more 1.10 log units higher than the sum of the reductions obtained with the single treatments. And, except TAC, hurdle processing at 40°C showed a longer microbiological shelf extension regarding to those controls, since microbial load about 10⁶CFU/g were achieved at 8 and 10 days for 4 and 10°C, respectively.

Significance: The combination of SAEW and FA could ensure the microbiological safety and quality of beef meat by efficacy contamination reduction and shelf life extension.