DISCUSSION

In the experiment that have been conducted, three samples of beef burger patties
were kept at different place with different temperature to study the effects of
temperature on the storage life of beef burger patty. The samples were stored at room
temperature, frozen and refrigerate temperature within one week and the surface
mould formation, slime formation and off-odour were observed and recorded.

According to the result for day 1, the result shows that there are slightly slimy
and off-odour on the beef burger patties in room temperature while another two
samples in chiller and frozen storage are still in normal condition without have any
spoilage. After three days, the result shows that the samples in room temperature get
more spoilage which is there are have small amount of mould presence on the beef
patties and moderately off-odour while for the sample that kept in chiller temperature,
only slightly off-odour was started as a sign that beef patties getting spoil. The beef
patties in frozen storage still in a good condition without any spoilage occured. On the
last day of the observation, the results shows beef burger patties in frozen temperature
is in good condition without presence any spoilage of mould formation, slime
formation and off-odour. For beef patties that kept in room temperature and chilled
storage, the observation for all the sign of spoilage become more obvious and
noticeable. Moderate amount of mould had presence on the surface of the beef patties
in room temperature and have extremely slimy and moderate off-odour while for the
beef patties in chilled storage, the spoilage only occured by have slightly off-odour.

The shelf life of packaged beef burgers patties is most frequently determined by
the activity of microorganism which result in development of off-odour, slime
formation and surface mould formation but it also influenced by biochemical factors
causing undesirable flavors and surface discoloration ( Richard et al. 2012 ).
Moreover, temperature is one of the major factors effect microbial growth and the
shelf life of the food. According to www.helpwithcooking.com,all raw meat contains a
small amount of bacteria on the surface, which rapidly multiplies in the warmth. For
this reason, fresh raw meat must be refrigerated as quickly as possible after purchase.
Thus, based on the experiment, it shows beef patties in room temperature undergo
rapidly spoiled due to the exposed into the air under room temperature that are not
efficient condition to store beef burger patties.
 Next,according to the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research
Organisation (CSIRO),refrigeration can substantially reduce the rate at which food
will deteriorate. Low temperatures slow down the growth of microorganisms and the
rate of chemical (including enzymic) changes in food. These are two of the main
causes of food spoilage.Wrapped meat can be kept safely for up to three days at cold
temperatures, 0 to 3 C. Wrapped meat remains moist and maintains its quality but
surface growth of microorganisms is encouraged and the meat becomes slimy after
about three days and if an off-odour was noticed, the food must be throw out. This can
be seen in this experiment which is after three days, the beef patties started have
moderately off-odour.

Lastly, as the temperature of an organism is reduced below that the optimum

growth, then the lag phase and generation time both increase. According to the
www.foodsafety.gov, storage time for hamburger and other ground meat can be frozen
for three to four months. Thus, based on this experiment, the samples that stored in
freezer storage does not accur any sign of spoilage because air in freezer temperature
prolonged the shelf life of the food and inhibit any microbial growth that can damaged
the meat.During frozen storage, microbiological growth is arrested but meat will
slowly deteriorate due to oxidative and other changes.