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Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only Publication Acceptance Date: 1/15/2007 Publication Date: 7/8/2007 Citation: Juneja, V.K., Friedman, M. Control of Clostridium perfringens Spores by Green Tea Leaf Extracts During Cooling of Cooked Ground Beef, Chicken, and Pork. Abstract. International Association for Food Protection. P2-36. Interpretive Summary: Technical Abstract: We investigated the inhibition of Clostridium perfringens spore germination and outgrowth by two green tea extracts with low (GTL; 141 mg total catechins/g of green tea extract) and high (GTE; 697 mg total catechins/g of extract) catechin levels during abusive chilling of retail cooked ground beef, chicken, or pork. Green tea extracts were mixed into the thawed beef, chicken or pork at concentrations of 0.5, 1.0 or 2.0% (w/w) along with a heat-activated (75C/20 min) three-strain spore cocktail to obtain a final concentration of about 3 log10 spores/g. Samples (5 gm) of the ground beef, chicken or pork were then vacuum-packaged and cooked to 71C in 1 h in a temperature-controlled water bath. Thereafter, the products were cooled from 54.4C to 7.2C in 12, 15, 18 or 21 h, resulting in significant increases (p less than 0.05) in germination and outgrowth of C. perfringens populations in the ground beef, chicken or pork control samples without GTL or GTE. Supplementation with 0.5 to 2% levels of GTL did not inhibit C. perfringens growth from spores. In contrast, addition of 0.5 to 2% levels of GTE to beef, chicken or pork resulted in concentration- and time-dependent inhibition of C. perfringens growth from spores. At 2% GTE, significant (p less than 0.05) inhibition of growth occurred at all chill rates for cooked ground beef, chicken or pork. These results suggest that widely consumed catechins from green tea can reduce the potential risk of C. perfringens spore germination and outgrowth during abusive cooling from 54.4C to 7.2C in 12, 15, 18, or 21 h of ground beef, chicken, or pork. |
