Restructured steaks were manufactured with hot or cold boned beef using alginate, alginate + dried egg albumin, or salt/phosphate formulations. Raw steaks were sampled for aerobic (26" and 35"C), and gram-negative enteric counts. Cooked vacuum-packaged steaks were sampled for aerobic, gram-negative enteric, lactobacilli and staphylococci and for the presence of Salmonella, Aeromonas, Yersinia, and Listeria during 7 wk storage (2°C). No differences in counts due to formulation were found for raw or cooked steaks. Higher aerobic counts (P