A laboratory evaluation of a novel hot water cabinet for the decontamination of sides of beef

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Abstract
Summary: A hot water cabinet based on an idealized distributor design for the decontamination of sides of beef is described and a laboratory evaluation of this novel cabinet is reported.Beef sides were inoculated with E. coli and exposed to mean water temperatures at the surface tissue (Tf) of 83.5, 74.2, 66.0 and 44.5°C for 10 or 20 s. Mean log10 reductions of bacteria for 10‐s exposures were 2.23, 1.40, 0.91 and 0.2. For 20 s, reductions were 2.98, 2.14, 1.17 and 0.1. There was a significant (P < 0.05) linear relationship between log reductions and Tf which varied with exposure time. At a Tf of 83.5°C with exposure times greater than 20 s, carcass bloom was judged to be permanently and adversely affected. At shorter times or with lower temperatures this did not occur.Evaporative heat losses were well correlated with the pressure driving force (r= 0.89) and gravity driving force (r= 0.92) for air interchange between the cabinet and its surrounds.The running cost using the distributor cabinet was one‐third of that of an existing spray cabinet when compared at the maximum reduction of log 1.3 (95%) achieved by the spray cabinet. An additional advantage of the distributor cabinet is its constructional simplicity.