Comparative evaluation of low-temperature storage strategies for fresh beef: Insights into physicochemical quality,...

Although refrigeration at 4 °C is widely used for fresh meat preservation, its limited ability to extend shelf life has driven growing interest in supercooling and micro-freezing technologies, whose comparative effects in beef remain unclear. In this study, fresh beef was stored at 4.0 °C (refrigeration), -1.5 °C (supercooling), and - 4.0 °C (micro-freezing) for 10 days to systematically evaluate quality evolution and compositional differences in bacterial communities induced by storage conditions. Specifically, storage at -1.5 °C reduced spoilage-associated bacterial counts by 1.2 log CFU/g compared to 4 °C. Also, it maintained a more stable microbial community structure, as evidenced by the lowest number of unique OTUs (7) and the lowest Shannon diversity index, thereby extending shelf life. These findings provide mechanistic insights into temperature-dependent spoilage pathways and offer a practical strategy for high-quality fresh beef preservation.