Microbial aspects of protein recovery from meat industry by-products

A significant reduction in the number of micro-organisms associated with the bovine meat by-products, lung, rumen and blood plasma, was noted after their alkali-extractable proteins had been spun into a fibrous form. Most of the effect was found when the protein was coagulated in a 10% acetic acid/10% sodium chloride bath. Whereas the approximate shelf-life of raw rumen and lung was three and four days, respectively (at 0°C), proteins isolated from these tissues were relatively stable and could be stored for up to three weeks. Spun protein fibres were even more resistant to microbial spoilage and were stable for at least three years. Tests for specific food poisoning organisms on the spun protein fibres revealed an absence of coliforms, Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella/Shigella spp.