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Influence of storage temperature on the quality of beef liver; pH as a reliable indicator of beef liver spoilage
Author(s) -
HernándezHerrero M Manuela,
RoigSagués Artur X,
LópezSabater Emilio I,
RodríguezJerez José J,
MoraVentura M Teresa
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
journal of the science of food and agriculture
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.782
H-Index - 142
eISSN - 1097-0010
pISSN - 0022-5142
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1097-0010(199911)79:14<2035::aid-jsfa481>3.0.co;2-i
Subject(s) - food spoilage , food science , organoleptic , lactic acid , shelf life , meat spoilage , flora (microbiology) , chemistry , biology , cold storage , bacteria , horticulture , genetics
The development of the microbial flora specifically involved in the spoilage of sliced beef livers packaged and stored under aerobic conditions at 0 and 3 °C for 14 days was studied. Changes in the pH value of the product were also determined. The possibility that pH value could be considered as a quick and reliable indicator of incipient spoilage was particularly considered. All microbial groups (except micrococci) showed differences in their rates of growth between 0 and 3 °C. Pseudomonads and lactic acid bacteria were the main components of the spoilage flora. When the 37 °C aerobic plate counts (APCs) reached 10 5 –10 6 CFU g −1 and the 20 °C APCs and pseudomonad counts reached 10 6 –10 7 CFU g −1 , visible surface colonies (VSCs) were observed. The presence of VSCs is the most important criterion to determine organoleptic beef liver spoilage and has hence enabled us to establish a shelf‐life of up to 8–10 and 5.5–6.5 days for samples stored at 0 and 3 °C respectively. Our study shows that the determination of pH, which is simple, economical and rapid, is capable of giving a reliable estimate of the spoilage status of beef livers. pH values lower than 6.15 may be considered as indicative of beef liver spoilage. © 1999 Society of Chemical Industry