GROWTH OF BROCHOTHRIX-THERMOSPHACTA IN-GROUND BEEF FOLLOWING TREATMENTS WITH NISIN IN CALCIUM ALGINATE GELS

Sterilized, lean and adipose beef carcass tissues were inoculated with Brochothrix thermosphacta, left untreated (U), or treated with 100 mu g/ml nisin (N), calcium alginate (A), or 100 mu g/ml nisin immobilize d in a calcium alginate gel (AN). Treated tissues were aseptically pro cessed into ground beef and populations of B. thermosphacta and nisin activity were determined during refrigerated storage (4 degrees C) at 0, 7, and 14 days. At day 0, bacterial populations of U- and A-treated ground beef were 3.24 and 3.17 log(10) CFU/g respectively. Ground bee f treated with N exhibited populations of 2.80 log(10) CFU/g while AN significantly suppressed the organism to undetectable levels (<1.30 lo g(10) CFU/g) at day 0. In contrast to high nisin titers from AN-treate d ground beef at day 0, nisin titers were undetectable in N-treated gr ound beef. By day 7, B. thermosphacta had grown to 7.18, 7.04, and 6.9 2 log(10) CFU/g in U-, A-, or N-treated ground beef, respectively, whi le AN-treated ground beef exhibited significantly different (P less th an or equal to 0.05) populations of 6.56 log(10) CFU/g. By day 7, nisi n titers from AN-treated ground beef were considerably diminished. At day 14 of the study, all treatments exhibited bacterial populations >7 log(10) CFU/g and nisin titers were virtually undetectable in any of the ground beef samples. While the growth of B. thermosphacta could no t be effectively suppressed for 14 days, the application of nisin in a lginate gels to meat surfaces does afford some immediate protection ag ainst undesirable bacteria when these surfaces are processed into grou nd beef. (C) 1997 Academic Press Limited.