Microbiological Condition of Restructured Steaks Prepared From Pre- and Postrigor Beef

Area of Science:

• Food Microbiology
• Meat Science
• Food Safety

Background:

• Microbiological quality is crucial for restructured meat products.
• Deboning methods can influence microbial proliferation in beef.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the microbiological quality of restructured beef steaks.
• To compare hot versus cold boning methods on microbial growth.
• To assess the effect of salt on bacterial populations.

Main Methods:

• Two experiments comparing hot (postmortem 45 min) and cold (20-24 h postmortem) boning of beef.
• Restructured steaks prepared from flaked neck and flank muscles with or without 1% NaCl.
• Microbiological analysis including aerobic mesophilic, psychrotrophic, and Enterobacteriaceae counts after refrigerated storage.

Main Results:

• Deboning method did not significantly affect bacterial numbers in Experiment 1 (long-term frozen storage).
• In Experiment 2, hot-boned steaks showed higher bacterial numbers than cold-boned steaks after 7 days of refrigerated storage.
• Salt addition did not influence bacterial growth in either experiment.

Conclusions:

• Cold boning is preferable for maintaining better microbiological quality in restructured beef steaks during refrigerated storage.
• Deboning timing significantly impacts bacterial growth dynamics in fresh restructured beef.
• Further research may explore specific interventions to mitigate microbial growth in hot-boned beef products.