title: Storage life at 2 °C or -1.5 °C of vacuum-packaged boneless and bone-in cuts from decontaminated beef carcasses.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The microbiological condition of beef produced at North American plants has been improved as a result of the use of effective carcass-decontaminating treatments. The effect of these treatments on the storage life of beef has not been established. In this study, beef primal cuts in vacuum packs stored at -1.5 or 2 °C for up to 160 days were assessed for their microbiological and organoleptic properties.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The odours of boneless cuts were acceptable after storage at either temperature for ≤160 days; and the flavours of steaks from boneless cuts stored at 2 or -1.5 °C for ≤70 or ≤120 days, respectively, were acceptable. The storage life of bone-in cuts stored at 2 or -1.5 °C was, respectively, shorter or the same as that of boneless cuts stored at the same temperature. More than 20 microbial species that were mostly obligate aerobes were present on both types of cuts before storage. After storage for ≥30 days, the microflora was dominated by carnobacteria and Enterobacteriaceae were present in the flora from early storage times.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A storage life of 120-140 days was attained by vacuum-packaged beef primals from decontaminated carcasses stored at -1.5 °C. The bone-in cuts stored at 2 °C were spoiled at earlier times, probably by Enterobacteriaceae.
authors.affiliation: Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Lacombe, Alberta, Canada,, T4L 1W1; Department of Food Hygiene and Control, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Cairo University, Giza, 11221, Egypt.
authors.forename: Mohamed K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Youssef
authors.forename: Colin O
authors.initials: CO
authors.lastname: Gill
authors.forename: Xianqin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Yang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001419:Bacteria / Q000302:isolation & purification; D001842:Bone and Bones; D002417:Cattle; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D003666:Decontamination; D004755:Enterobacteriaceae; D005511:Food Handling / Q000379:methods; D018857:Food Packaging / Q000379:methods*; D005519:Food Preservation / Q000379:methods*; D008460:Meat / Q000382:microbiology*; D013696:Temperature; D013997:Time Factors; D014618:Vacuum
keywords: bone-in cuts; boneless cuts; carnobacteria; organoleptic; storage life; vacuum packaged