Intervention Technologies for Ensuring Microbiological Safety of Meat: Current and Future Trends

Abstract

This article reviews current and future techniques that are applied in the meat industry to ensure product safety. Consumer demand for high-quality food and raised economic standards have triggered the development of emergent technologies to replace traditional well-established preservation processes. Some promising nonthermal and thermal technologies, such as chemical and biological interventions, high hydrostatic pressure (HHP), irradiation, active packaging, natural antimicrobials and microwave, radiofrequency, and steam pasteurization, are under consideration for the preservation of meat products. All these alternative technologies are designed to be mild, energy-conserving, environmentally friendly, and maintaining natural appearance and flavor, while eliminating pathogens and spoilage microorganisms. Their combination, as in the hurdle theory, may improve their effectiveness for decontamination. The objective of this article is to reflect on the possibilities and especially the limitations of the previously mentioned technologies.

Risk Factors and Control Measures for Bacterial Contamination in the Bovine Meat Chain: A Review on Salmonella and Pathogenic E.coli

“…Steam treatments were also found to deteriorate the commercial quality of hides (McEvoy et al, 2003). Furthermore, animal and operator welfare problems, namely eye and skin irritation as well as corrosion of slaughtering equipment, have reportedly been associated with the use of chemical antimicrobials, particularly organic acids (Chen et al, 2012;Mies et al, 2004).…”

“…However, lower reductions are generally reported in studies conducted under commercial conditions. This could be due to lower acid concentrations used in respect to meat quality and staff welfare considerations (Chen et al, 2012). By spraying acetic acid (2.5%) to bovine carcasses prior to chilling Algino et al (2007) reported reductions of coliforms, Enterobacteiaceae and E. coli levels ranging from 0.6 to 1.4 logs.…”

“…Although a variety of biological treatments are reported to be used in carcass decontamination, bacteriophages constitute the only biological treatment reported to be used in hide decontamination (Bolder, 1997;Chen et al, 2012). Some bacteriophages targeted to bacteriological pathogens namely Salmonella and E. coli O157:H7 have been already approved in United States for cattle hide decontamination, however the possibility of their utilization under commercial conditions is still being investigated (Loretz et al, 2011) Apart from reducing the bacterial load on hides and possibly improving carcass microbiological quality, some hide decontamination interventions were found to present some disadvantages.…”

“…Furthermore, the prevention or mastery of meat contaminations can be carried out at a stage of the chain different from the stages at which the contamination has occurred (Chen et al, 2012). Therefore, the food chain approach constitutes an efficient method to control bacterial contaminations of meat at consumption.…”

Power ultrasound in meat processing

“…With ultrasound technology, high pressure, shear, and a temperature gradient are generated by high power ultrasound (20 to 100 kHz), which can destroy cell membranes and DNA, thus leading to cell death (Chen et al, 2012). A relatively new concept in antimicrobial treatment has been proposed involving the combined effect of pressure and ultrasound (manosonication), ultrasound and heat (thermosonication) or the combination of ultrasound, heat and pressure (manothermosonication) (Pagan, Mañas, Alvarez, & Condon, 1999).…”