title: Shelf-life extension and sanitation of fresh pork loin by E-beam treatment.
abstract: The usefulness of electron beam (E-beam) irradiation to increase the shelf life of whole fresh pork loin stored at 4°C has been studied. The shelf life was extended from 5 to 11 and 20 days after the application of 1 and 2 kGy, respectively. If a temperature abuse situation were  to occur during product distribution (e.g., increase to 8°C), the shelf life would be extended from 3 to 8 and 15 days, respectively, after application of the same doses. When considering Listeria monocytogenes from a public health point of view, the irradiated whole fresh loin  may be marketable for periods longer than 2 weeks, thus guaranteeing a practically Listeria-free product. Irradiation produced no important changes in the rheological characteristics of the meat. Although the sensory quality of irradiated meat was scored lower than the control immediately  after irradiation, after 5 days in storage, irradiated meat scored higher than or not different from the control.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Nutrición, Bromatología y Tecnología de los Alimentos, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad Complutense, 28040 Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Irene
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: García-Márquez
authors.forename: María I
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Cambero
authors.forename: Juan A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Ordóñez
authors.forename: María C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Cabeza
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003257:Consumer Product Safety; D004307:Dose-Response Relationship, Radiation; D005506:Food Contamination / Q000517:prevention & control; D005511:Food Handling / Q000379:methods*; D005514:Food Irradiation / Q000379:methods*; D005516:Food Microbiology; D059022:Food Safety; D006801:Humans; D006920:Hygiene; D008089:Listeria monocytogenes / Q000254:growth & development / Q000528:radiation effects*; D008460:Meat / Q000382:microbiology / Q000528:radiation effects / Q000592:standards; D012212:Rheology; D013552:Swine; D013649:Taste; D013696:Temperature; D013997:Time Factors