Inspection Systems and Mechanical Removal Systems for Bone and Cartilage Particles in Ground Beef Patties

Ground beef patties were processed from boneless beef which was subjected to two different inspection systems for bone and cartilage defects. One system permitted a higher ("high") level of defects (USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, Meat and Poultry Inspection Requirements), while the other system (USDA PP-B-2120 Federal Purchasing Specification) permitted only a lower ("low") level of defects. Before formation into patties, the ground beef was subjected to three processing systems for defect removal (none, Weiler Bone Collector System, Speco Spiral Groove Plate System). A sensory approach (teeth and tongue) for detecting defects with cooked patty samples revealed more bone and cartilage defects in the "high" than the "low" formulation regardless of defect removal system. While the defect removal systems reduced the levels of detected defects in the "high" formulation, neither system produced patties with defect levels achieved through inspection procedures required to produce "low" levels of these defects. However, it appears that much of the bone remaining as a defect in boneless beef is reduced in size during grinding so as to be undetectable by sensory approaches.