Alternative Cooling Procedures for Large, Intact Meat Products To Achieve Stabilization Microbiological Performance Standards

Abstract

Achieving the U. S. Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA-FSIS) stabilization microbiological performance standards for cooling procedures proves to be challenging for processors of large, whole-muscle meat products. This study was conducted to determine if slower cooling times than those provided by USDA-FSIS guidance will comply with the performance standard for Clostridium perfringens. Large (9 to 12 kg) cured bone-in hams (n = 110) and large (8 to 13 kg) uncured beef inside rounds (n = 100) were used. Stabilization treatments extended times to reduce internal product temperature from 54.4 to 26.7°C (hams and rounds) and from 26.7 to 7.2°C (for hams) and 26.7 to 4.4°C (for rounds). Control treatments, defined by current USDA-FSIS Appendix B guidelines, and a "worst-case scenario" treatment, in which products were cooled at room temperature (approximately 22.8°C) until internal product temperature equilibrated, were used. For both hams and rounds, stabilization showed less than 1-log growth of C. perfringens for all treatments, with the exception of the worst-case scenario for rounds. As expected for products cooled at room temperature, there was >1-log growth of C. perfringens reported for rounds, and the addition of curing ingredients to hams had an inhibitory effect on the growth of C. perfringens. The results demonstrate that industry may have increased flexibility associated with cooling large, whole-muscle cuts while still complying with the required stabilization microbiological performance standards.

Survival and Germination of Clostridium perfringens Spores during Heating and Cooling of Ground Pork

“…The ham was cured with a curing pump that had a four-needle hand-valve injector. The hams were pumped to 20% of their raw weight with a brine solution of 2% sodium chloride, 2% sucrose, 200 mg/liter sodium nitrite, 540 mg/liter sodium erythorbate, and 5,000 mg/liter sodium tripolyphosphate (16). The cured ham was allowed to stabilize at 4uC for 12 h and then transported in an insulated container to the Food Microbiology Laboratory in an adjacent building and trimmed free of skin, fat, bone, and connective tissue.…”