November 13, 2006

Solutions to extend meat shelf-life also kills bacteria, US study finds
 

Solutions used by meat processors to extend shelf life can actually kill food-borne pathogens as

E. coli 0157:H7, a study in the University of Illinois found.

The results, published in the Journal of Food Science and Meat Science, may prompt a shift in the industry towards such solutions as concerns on food safety mount.

Tenderizing meats through needle injection has long been practiced in the meat industry. More recently the fresh-meat industry has adopted the use of enhancement solutions, a practice that poultry and ham processors have used for years.

In recent years, processors began using the needles that tenderize steaks and chops to inject solutions that make the meat taste better and last longer.

However, there is the danger that the needles injecting the meat may be contaminated by repeated usage.

The fact that a basin is used to catch fluid that goes through the meat or runs off the surface for recycling back into the system raises the possibilities of further contamination.

However, according to studies done by University of Illinois food science professor Susan Brewer, some solutions used to extend the shelf-life of meat also were effective at killing bacteria. Solutions containing sodium lactate or sodium diacetate stifle the growth of bacteria and substantially reduces it, Brewer said.

However, the best way of getting rid of harmful organisms like E. Coli is for people to cook it.

Meats are safe if it is cooked until it's well done, Brewer said, adding that since these organisms are living cells, they would be fairly easily destroyed by heat.