MICROBIOLOGICAL QUALITY OF BEEF CARCASSES AND VACUUM-PACKAGED SUBPRIMALS - PROCESS INTERVENTION DURING SLAUGHTER AND FABRICATION

Beef carcass sides (n = 9 per replicate) were sprayed with water (W), 200 ppm chlorine (C), or 3% (vol/vol) lactic acid (L) immediately afte r rail inspection and at the end of an 8-h spray-chill cycle, resultin g in a total of nine different spray combinations. All treatment combi nations involving chlorine and/or lactic acid reduced carcass contamin ation. The reductions in mean log(10) CFU/cm(2) for carcass aerobic pl ate count (APC) data ranged from 0.4 to 1.8. The treatment combination using lactic acid at both spray times (Let) resulted in the greatest reduction. Additionally, treatment combinations involving lactic acid at either time and in combination with water or chlorine tended to red uce APCs more than those treatment combinations without acid. Browning of blood splashes was observed on carcasses sprayed with lactic acid and persisted until fabrication at 72 h postmortem. A companion study was designed, in conjunction with the carcass decontamination study, t o evaluate effect of carcass treatment on the microbiological quality of subprimal subdivisions derived from treated carcasses. A facet of t he subprimal study evaluated chlorine spray (200 ppm) and microwave ra diation as approaches to improving subprimal shelf life and safety. Cu ts taken from sprayed carcasses were vacuum packaged with or without i ntervention treatments, stored at 1 to 2 degrees C and evaluated for b oth APC and pathogen populations at specified intervals of up to 120 d ays. These results demonstrated that neither carcass nor intervention treatment had any significant (P > 0.05), beneficial effect on the mic robiological quality of subprimal cuts.