Cadaverine as a Potential Spoilage Indicator in Skin-Packed Beef and Modified-Atmosphere-Packed Beef

Area of Science:

• Food Science
• Microbiology
• Analytical Chemistry

Background:

• Cadaverine is a biogenic amine associated with microbial spoilage.
• Its utility as a spoilage indicator in beef products requires further investigation.
• Lactic acid bacteria can produce cadaverine under specific storage conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate cadaverine as a spoilage indicator in vacuum-skin-packed entrecotes (EB) and modified-atmosphere-packed (MAP) minced beef (MB).
• To compare cadaverine levels with sensory and microbial analyses during shelf life.
• To determine the applicability of cadaverine as a universal spoilage marker for beef.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of EB and MB products stored under controlled conditions.
• Sensory evaluation and microbial analysis throughout product shelf life.
• Quantification of cadaverine using Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS/MS).

Main Results:

• Cadaverine levels in EB increased significantly, reaching ~40,000 µg/kg by the 'best before' date.
• Cadaverine concentrations in MB remained low (<50 µg/kg) and did not correlate with sensory assessments.
• EB cadaverine levels showed a consistent increase, indicating potential as an ageing spoilage indicator.

Conclusions:

• Cadaverine shows promise as a spoilage indicator for aged beef steaks (EB).
• Cadaverine is not a reliable spoilage marker for MAP minced beef (MB) under the tested conditions.
• Product-specific research is essential to validate cadaverine's role in beef spoilage detection.