Fate of Shiga toxin-producing O157:H7 and non-O157:H7 Escherichia coli cells within blade-tenderized beef steaks after cooking on a commercial open-flame gas grill.
We compared the fate of cells of both Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli O157:H7 (ECOH) and Shiga toxin-producing non-O157:H7 E. coli (STEC) in blade-tenderized steaks after tenderization and cooking on a gas grill. In phase I, beef subprimal cuts were  inoculated on the lean side with about 5.5 log CFU/g of a five-strain mixture of ECOH or STEC and then passed once through a mechanical blade tenderizer with the lean side facing up. In each of two trials, 10 core samples were removed from each of two tenderized subprimals and cut into six  consecutive segments starting from the inoculated side. Ten total cores also were obtained from two nontenderized (control) subprimals, but only segment 1 (the topmost segment) was sampled. The levels of ECOH and STEC recovered from segment 1 were about 6.0 and 5.3 log CFU/g, respectively,  for the control subprimals and about 5.7 and 5.0 log CFU/g, respectively, for the tenderized subprimals. However, both ECOH and STEC behaved similarly in terms of translocation, and cells of both pathogen cocktails were recovered from all six segments of the cores obtained from tenderized  subprimals, albeit at lower levels in segments 2 to 6 than those found in segment 1. In phase II, steaks (2.54 and 3.81 cm thick) cut from tenderized subprimals were subsequently cooked (three steaks per treatment) on a commercial open-flame gas grill to internal temperatures of 48.9, 54.4,  60.0, 65.6, and 71.1°C. Regardless of temperature or thickness, we observed 2.0- to 4.1-log and 1.5- to 4.5-log reductions in ECOH and STEC levels, respectively. Both ECOH and STEC behaved similarly in response to heat, in that cooking eliminated significant numbers of both pathogen types;  however, some survivors were recovered due, presumably, to uneven heating of the blade-tenderized steaks.
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania 19038, USA. John.Luchansky@ars.usda.gov
John B
JB
Luchansky
Anna C S
AC
Porto-Fett
Bradley A
BA
Shoyer
Jeffrey E
JE
Call
Wayne
W
Schlosser
William
W
Shaw
Nathan
N
Bauer
Heejeong
H
Latimer
D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D003296:Cooking / Q000379:methods; D019453:Escherichia coli O157 / Q000254:growth & development*; D005506:Food Contamination / Q000032:analysis / Q000517:prevention & control; D005511:Food Handling / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D005516:Food Microbiology; D006358:Hot Temperature; D006801:Humans; D008460:Meat / Q000382:microbiology*; D054323:Shiga-Toxigenic Escherichia coli / Q000254:growth & development*