The effect of storage temperature and inoculum level on the time of onset of ‘blown pack’ spoilage

Abstract

Aims: To examine the effect of storage temperature and inoculum level on the time of onset of ‘blown pack’ spoilage (BPS) caused by psychrotolerant bacteria in vacuum‐packed (VP) meats. Methods and Results: Gas‐producing species and strains (n = 11), recovered in our laboratory or reported as associated with BPS, were inoculated onto beef or lamb meat pieces at final levels of <10, 10, 102 and 103 CFU cm−2, VP and stored at −1·5, 1 or 4°C. Six strains produced observable amounts of gas within 42 days and a further four strains produced gas within 100 days. BPS was observed earliest in VP meats inoculated with Clostridium estertheticum ssp. estertheticum at all inoculum levels/storage temperature combinations examined. Storage temperature and inoculum level significantly affected (P < 0·001 and P < 0·05 respectively) the onset of BPS in all cases. Conclusions: Controlling contamination levels and lowering the storage temperature delay the onset of BPS. Significance and Impact of the Study: The study demonstrates the positive effects of low contamination–low temperature as control interventions preventing/delaying BPS in VP chilled meats and identifies some of the contaminants most likely to cause BPS in chilled stored VP meat products.

Diversity of Culturable Psychrophilic and Psychrotrophic Anaerobic Bacteria Isolated from Beef Abattoirs and Their Environments

“…Further studies are necessary to fully characterize this organism, which is of clear commercial significance, as it has been demonstrated to cause BPS (24). The recognition of TC1 as a potentially important causative agent of BPS in vacuum-packed chilled meats highlights the need for more information on its incidence in abattoir environments and for an urgent review of its relative significance within the range of the causative agents of BPS in vacuum-packed meats.…”

“…The current study is, however, the first to show that these species make up the majority of the psychrophilic and/or psychrotolerant anaerobic bacterial population in beef abattoirs and their environments. These species have been frequently associated with the spoilage of vacuum-packed chilled lamb and beef (3,4,13,24), and their relatively high incidence presents a con- a Facultative anaerobic isolate. b BLAST analysis using the NCBI nucleotide sequence database identified each isolate with similarity values of Ն98%.…”

Development and validation of a real-time PCR assay specific for Clostridium estertheticum and C. estertheticum-like psychrotolerant bacteria

“…As far as we are aware, C. bowmanii and C. lacusfryxellense have not been formally identified on meat or in meat processing environments and have not been shown to cause "blown pack" spoilage of vacuum packaged chilled meat products, although Mochonas et al (2010) reported isolating C. bowmanii from soil outside an abattoir. Cavill et al (2011) used a direct 16 S rDNA PCR-RFLP method to screen for cold-tolerant clostridia other than C. estertheticum in raw vacuum packaged chilled meat products and found sequences similar to C. tagluense and C. bowmanii but did not confirm their presence.…”

“…Spoilage of vacuum-packed chilled meats by C. estertheticum typically occurs in the absence of temperature abuse or packaging failure and consequently, is of major concern to meat industries worldwide (Mochonas, Bolton, Sheridan, & McDowell, 2010). The sudden and rapid nature of the spoilage often suggests to meat producers that a contamination of the meat-manufacturing process with clostridia has occurred and that the source(s) of these microorganisms are harboured at some points of a processing chain.…”

Vida útil de carne fresca de res envasada al vacío a 0°C y +4°C

“…El efecto de la temperatura en el aspecto del envase fue observado por otros autores; por ejemplo, el trabajo de Moschonas et al (2010) mostró tanto en carne de res como de cordero que el tiempo en el cual se comienza a observar la formación de gas en el envase aumenta significativamente cuando la temperatura de almacenamiento disminuye, prolongando la vida útil comercial del producto.…”