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Title: THE EFFECT OF DIACETYL AND CARBON DIOXIDE ALONE OR IN COMBINATION ON SPOILAGE MICROORGANISMS FOUND IN FRESH GROUND BEEF

Author
item Williams Campbell, Anisha
item JAY, JAMES - UNIV OF NEVADA
item SHELEF, LEORA - WAYNE STATE UNIV, MI

Submitted to: Journal of Food Protection
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/1/2001
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: The meat industry is continually searching for alternative methods to increase the shelf-life of meat products. Currently, MAP (modified atmosphere packaging) is used as a method to increase shelf-life in meats shipped over great distances. The downside to MAP is that it causes discoloration of the meat which is not acceptable to consumers. Diacetyl is sa natural GRAS compound that has been shown to inhibit Gram-negative spoilage microorganisms and foodborne pathogens associated with fresh meats. The purpose of this study was determine the effectiveness of the combination of MAP and diacetyl on indigenous spoilage organisms found in fresh ground beef. Results showed that 20 percent CO2 alone was as effective as 30 or 40 percent CO2. Ground beef treated with diacetyl concentrations of 20 and 50 ug/g showed signs of spoilage by day 7, however, 100 ug/g-treated meat showed a delayed spoilage but residual odor of diacetyl. The combination treatment of 20 percent CO2 combined with 20, 50, or 100 ug/g diacetyl showed that the CO2 treatment alone was just as effective as the combination treatments, however, the combination treatments maintained the red color associated with ground beef. It is possible that diacetyl could be used in combination with lower levels of CO2 to extend shelf-life while maintaining the fresh meat color with no off-odor development.

Technical Abstract: This study investigated the effect of CO2 and diacetyl alone or in combination on Gram-negative spoilage microorganisms found in fresh ground beef. In separate studies, fresh ground beef was treated with 20, 30, or 40 percent CO2, diacetyl (20, 50, 100 ug/g) or the combination of CO2 (20 percent) and diacetyl for 22, 26, or 40 days at 5 deg C. The effectiveness of the antimicrobial agents was measured by ERV, organoleptic quality assessments, log CFU/g, and pH. Results showed that inhibition of Gram- negative spoilage microorganisms using 20, 30, or 40 percent CO2 were similar (P>0.05) for all parameters. Bacteria increased to >7 log CFU/g by day 4, while the pH remained constant (5.7) for CO2-treated samples over the 22-day storage period. Controls had an off odor, while CO2-treated samples had a brown appearance without an off odor. For most samples treated with diacetyl alone, spoilage was evident by all parameters on day 7, however ground beef treated with 100 ug/g did not show signs of spoilag until day 12. Diacetyl could be detected by smell in the 100 ug/g samples following storage. Meat samples treated with the combination of CO2 and diacetyl showed that the addition of diacetyl did not have an additional effect. Samples treated with 20 percent CO2 only were similar in parameters to the combination treatment. Organoleptically, all samples maintained a red appearance and no evidence of spoilage. It is possible that diacetyl could be added to ground beef before packaging to extend the shelf-life of the meat product.