Mesophilic and Psychrotrophic Bacterial Populations on Hot-Boned and Conventionally Processed Beef'

Abstract
Mesophilic and psychrotrophic bacterial counts of hot-boned and conventionally treated cuts from 15 steers were low [Log 0–2 colony forming units (CFU)/cm2] at 0 time; and after 14 days of vacuum-packaged storage (2.2 C), hot-boned cuts had higher counts than conventionally-treated cuts. In the first experiment involving 10 steers, the mesophilic and psychrotrophic counts for hot-boned cuts were Log 5.26 CFU/cm2 and Log 5.15 CFU/cm2, respectively, and for conventionally treated cuts, log 4.64 CFU/cm2 and Log 4.43 CFU/cm2, respectively. In the second experiment involving 5 steers, the mesophilic and psychrotrophic counts were Log 6.62 CFU/cm2 and Log 6.61 CFU/cm2, respectively, for hot-boned cuts; and Log 5.93 CFU/cm2 and Log 4.91 CFU/cm2, respectively, for conventionally treated cuts. Some hot-boned cuts had low levels (Log 0–3 CFU/cm2) of coliforms, fecal coliforms, Clostridium perfringens, coagulase-positive Staphylococcus aureus and fecal streptococci. No Salmonella were recovered from any cuts. Temper...