title: Vacuum-packed beef primals with extremely long shelf life have unusual microbiological counts.
abstract: When vacuum-packed striploins and cube rolls processed by six Australian establishments were stored at 2 0.5°C to determine their shelf life, all product was acceptable organoleptically for at least 26 weeks. The aerobic plate counts and counts of lactic acid bacteria over the storage  period did not accord with those established by previous studies, i.e., stationary phase attained at 7 to 8 log CFU/cm(2) after 5 to 8 weeks followed by the development of negative sensory characteristics around 12 to 16 weeks. Rather, counts rarely progressed to 7 log CFU/cm(2)  even after 30 weeks. It is believed that the combined effects of meat pH, temperature, and CO(2) concentration may combine to create conditions in which little or no growth occurs.
authors.affiliation: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Division of Food and Nutritional Sciences, Archerfield BC, Queensland 4108, Australia. Alison.Small@csiro.au
authors.forename: Alison Holdhus
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Small
authors.forename: Ian
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Jenson
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kiermeier
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sumner
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001419:Bacteria / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D002245:Carbon Dioxide / Q000494:pharmacology; D002417:Cattle; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D003257:Consumer Product Safety; D005506:Food Contamination / Q000032:analysis*; D005516:Food Microbiology; D018857:Food Packaging / Q000379:methods*; D005519:Food Preservation / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D013649:Taste; D013696:Temperature; D013997:Time Factors; D014618:Vacuum
chemical_list: D002245:Carbon Dioxide