Survival of Campylobacter jejuni in Fresh and Heated Red Meat

Studies were done to assess the ability of Campylobacter jejuni to survive in fresh ground beef during refrigerated storage and to identify time-temperature treatments needed to inactivate Campylobacter in ground and cubed red meat. The organism survived well in refrigerated ground beef containing large numbers of indigenous bacteria. Relatively little death (< 1.2-log₁₀ reduction) occurred for 7 of 8 strains during 14 d at 4°C. C. jejuni inoculated into ground beef and cubed lamb meat was quite sensitive to heat treatment. D-values for inactivation of campylobacters in ground beef ranged from 5.9 to 6.3 min at 50°C and from 12 to 21 s at 58°C. D-values were generally greater when campylobacters were heated in lamb meat, ranging from 5.9 to 13.3 min and 12.5 to 15.8 s at 50 and 60°C, respectively. All strains of C. jejuni were more sensitive to heat than salmonellae, hence meat heated to a temperature sufficient to inactivate Salmonella spp. should be free of viable campylobacters.