Microbial Flora of Vacuum-Packaged Lamb with Special Reference to Psychrotrophic, Gram-Positive, Catalase-Positive Pleomorphic Rods

Abstract
Wholesale cuts of lamb (loins, legs) were packaged in polyvinyl chloride (PVC) film and in two other types of packages with oxygen transmission rates (cc/100 in2/24 h) of 0.41–0.75 and 2.28 respectively, Psychrotrophic counts were low (2 × 10-1.1 × 103 per in2) intially and after storage for 21 days increased to 103-1.6 × 105 per in2) Initially Corynebacterium species and Microbacterium thermosphactum were dominant. Upon refrigerated storage for 21 days, Lactobacillus, Pseudomonas, and Moraxella-Acinetobacter sp. became more significant. Among the Corynebacterium sp., buff-colored isolates, consisting of long, gram-positive pleomorphic rods in palisades were dominant.