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Comparison of the Real‐time Microrespirometer and Aerobic Plate Count Methods for Determination of Microbial Quality in Ground Beef
Author(s) -
LI X.,
HSIEH Y. H. P.
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
journal of food science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.772
H-Index - 150
eISSN - 1750-3841
pISSN - 0022-1147
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2621.2003.tb05801.x
Subject(s) - plate count , food spoilage , meat spoilage , food science , odor , chemistry , biology , bacteria , genetics , organic chemistry
Real‐time microrespirometer measurements were compared with the aerobic plate count (APC) method to assess microbial quality of ground beef stored at 4°C and 7°C with and without previous freezing. The samples were monitored daily for CO2 evolution rate (CER) using a microrespirometer, APC, and were evaluated for color and odor changes by a sensory panel. The CER was highly correlated with the APC for all storage conditions ( r 2 = 0.787 to 0.952). The onset of meat spoilage was more closely associated with a specific CER value (>25 μL/h/g) than APC. The new method was found to be more accurate in predicting meat spoilage, especially for previously frozen samples.