Investigation of the Effectiveness of Disinfectants Used in Meat-Processing Facilities to Control Clostridium sporogenes and Clostridioides difficile Spores.

Spore-forming bacteria are a major concern for the food industry as they cause both spoilage and food safety issues. Moreover, as they are more resistant than vegetative cells, their removal from the food processing environment may be difficult to achieve. This study investigated the efficacy of the ten most commonly used disinfectant agents (assigned 1-10), used at the recommended concentrations in the meat industry, for their ability to eliminate Clostridium sporogenes and Clostridioides difficile spores. Test-tube based suspension assays suggested that disinfectants 2 (10% v/v preparation of a mixture of hydrogen peroxide (10-30%), acetic acid (1-10%) and peracetic acid (1-10%)), 7 (4% w/v preparation of a mixture of peroxymonosulphate (30-50%), sulphamic acid (1-10%) and troclosene sodium (1-10%)) and 10 (2% v/v preparation of a mixture of glutaraldehyde (10-30%), benzalkonium chloride (1-10%)) were the most effective formulations. D-values for these ranged from 2.1 to 8.4 min at 20 °C for the target spores. Based on these findings, it is recommended that these disinfectants are used to control Clostridium spores in the meat plant environment.

The microbiology of beef from carcass chilling through primal storage to retail steaks.

The primary objective of this study was to investigate if alternative time-temperature carcass chilling combinations resulted in lower microbial (TVC, Enterobacteriaceae, Lactic Acid Bacteria, Pseudomonas spp. And Brochothrix thermosphacta) counts and, if achieved, would reduced levels remain throughout the beef chain. Physicochemical (temperature, pH, water activity) characteristics were also recorded. A secondary objective was to investigate the effect of primal maturation periods (2 versus 5 weeks) on the sensory properties of steaks by a trained panel for colour, odour, tenderness, and flavour. While microbial populations reduced by over 1 log10 â€‹cfu/cm2 by fast carcass chilling, these reductions were lost due to cross contamination in the boning hall and cutting room. The pH and water activity remained stable throughout the study and there was no significant difference for colour or sensory characteristics in retail steaks from the different treatment groups. It was concluded that there was no improvement to the microbial shelf-life of retail steaks from modified chilled carcasses or in the sensory shelf-life of primals which were aged for an extended period.

The effect of four alternative chilling regimes on the bacterial load on beef carcasses.

The objective of this study was to compare the effect of current (10 °C for 10 h followed by 0 °C with a low fan speed) versus four alternative beef carcass chilling regimes, ranging from -6 °C to 0 °C and wind speeds between 1.5 and 6 m/s on the microbiology of beef carcasses. The temperature and relative humidity (RH) in the chillers, the carcass core and surface temperature, pH, water activity (aw) and carcass weight (drip) loss were recorded. Bacterial concentrations (total viable counts (TVC), total Enterobacteriaceae counts (TEC), Pseudomonas spp., lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and Brochothrix thermosphacta) were also monitored. Similar pH, aw and drip loss (2%) values were obtained regardless of chilling regime. For the most part, bacterial concentrations were also similar and, where statistically significant (P < 0.05) counts occurred, the reductions were low (≤1 log10 cfu/cm2). It was concluded that the current chilling regime was as effective as the tested alternatives in terms of the bacterial quality of the carcasses.