Beef Jerky: Fate of Staphylococcus aureus in Marinated and Corned Beef during Jerky Manufacture and 2.5°C Storage

A domestic food dehydrator was used to prepare beef jerky from inside round steak and corned beef brisket slices contaminated with Staphylococcus aureus . The number of added staphylococci doubled within 2 h after the start of drying corned beef slices. About 3-3.5 h were required for corned beef and between 1-2.5 h for inside round slices to reach an a_w of 0.86. Only 15% of all staphylococci initially present survived 8 h of heated-drying, and this was reduced to 5% after a week of refrigerated storage of slices. The safety of beef jerky produced in the home is assured when wholesome meats used in its preparation are rapidly dried.