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Meat
Meat
FOOD MICROBIOLOGY
Presented By: GEETARANI LOUSHIGAM
Of MSc Food Technology and Quality Assurance, 2020-22
2 Contamination
3 Spoilage
Staphylococci, Streptococci, Clostridium, & Salmonella have been isolated from the lymph nodes of red meat animals.
Hence, lymph nodes are removed from the edible parts during slaughtering practices
Approved “humane” methods of slaughter- mechanical, chemical, electrical- have little effect of contamination.
The important contamination comes from external sources during bleeding, handling & processing.
During bleeding, skinning & cutting, the main source of micro-organisms are the exterior of the animal & intestinal
tract
Frequently Isolated Microorganisms from Meats
Fresh and Refrigerated Meat Processed and Cured Meats
Bacteria Bacteria
Molds Molds
Cladosporium, Geotrichum, Sporotrichum, Aspergillus, Penicillium, Rhizopus, and
Mucor, and Thamnidium. Thamnidium
Yeasts Yeasts
Candida, Torulopsis, Debaryomyces, Debaryomyces, Torula, Torulopsis,
and Rhodotorula. Trichosporon, and Candida
.
SPOILAGE
Food spoilage is any undesired change in the natural color, taste or texture of food items that makes
it unfit for consumption as it has lost its quality and nutritional value.
Raw meat is subjected to change by its own enzymes & by microbial action & its fat may be oxidized
chemically.
a. The load of gut of the animal- more the load, greater the invasion of tissues.
b. The physiological condition of the animal immediately before slaughter- if the animal is excited,
feverish bacteria is more likely to be enter the tissues.
c. The method of killing & bleeding- the better sanitary the bleeding, better would be the keeping
quality of meat.
d. The rate of cooling- rapid cooling will reduce the rate of invasion of tissues
Factors that influence the growth of microorganisms to cause spoilage
1. The kind and amount of contamination with microorganisms & the spread of these organisms in
the meat.
4. Availability of oxygen-
Aerobic conditions at the surface of meat are favorable to yeasts, molds & aerobic bacteria.
5. Temperature-
Low-temperature organisms can grow on stored temperature of meat i.e. not far above freezing.
GENERAL TYPES OF SPOILAGE OF MEAT
Anaerobic Bacteria
Aerobic Bacteria
Yeast Mold
Surface slime Sticky and Souring
Surface slime
whiskery surface
Discolorations
Discolorations Discolorations Putrefaction
Gas production Changes in odor and foul odor
and taste Changes in odor
Change in odors
Fat decomposition Fat decomposition Taints
Fat decomposition
Aerobic bacteria
1. Surface slime-
which may be caused by species Pseudomonas, Leuconostoc, Bacillus, Alkaligenes,
Micrococcus etc.
Temperature & availability of moisture, influence the kind of organisms causing surface
slime.
3. Changes in fats-
The oxidation of unsaturated fats in meats takes place chemically in air & may be catalyzed
by light & copper.
Lipolytic bacteria may cause lipolysis off flavor due to aldehyde & acids.
Lipolytic species viz., Pseudomonas & Achromobacter.
Contd..
4. Phosphorescence-
Uncommon defect caused by luminous bacteria.
Ex. Photobacterium growing on the surface of meat.
Surface slime
Discolorations
Fat decomposition
Aerobic growth of molds
Stickiness: Incipient growth of molds makes the surface of the meat sticky to the touch.
Whiskers: White fuzzy growth can be caused by a number of molds including sps. Thamnidium,
Mucor, Rhizopus and others.
Decomposition of Fats: Many molds have lipases and hence cause hydrolysis of fats.
Off odour and off tastes: Molds give a musty flavour to meat in the vicinity of their growth.
Sometimes this defect is given a name called “thamnidium taint”.
Whisker meat Green patches in meat Black spot in meat
ANAEROBIC bacteria
Facultative and anaerobic bacteria are able to grow within the meat under anaerobic conditions to cause
spoilage. The terminology used in connection with this spoilage is:-
1. Souring:-
The term implies a sour odor.
This could be caused by formic, acetic, butyric, propionic and higher fatty acids or other organic
acid like lactic.
Vacuum packed meats, especially those in gastight wrappers, commonly support the growth of lactic
acid bacteria.
Acid and gas formation accompany the action of the “butyric” Clostridium spps and the coliform
bacteria on carbohydrates.
True putrefaction is the anaerobic decomposition of protein with the production of foul smelling
compounds.
It usually is caused by species of Clostridium.
But facultative bacteria may cause putrefaction in its production, by species of Pseudomonas
like P. putrefaciens, P. putrificum etc, chiefly in the genera Pseudomonas and Alcaligenes.
Gas formation accompanies putrefaction by clostridia, the gases being hydrogen & CO2.
Trimethyl amine in fish and isovalenic acid in butter are described as putrid odors.
3. Taint:-
Lactic acid bacteria chiefly of the genera Lactobacillus, Leuconostoc, Streptococcus, Brevibacterium and
Pediococcus are present in most meats, fresh or cured and can grow even at refrigerator temperatures.
2. Fresh beef:
3. Hamburger:
Bacillus, Clostridium, Escherichia coli, Enterobacter, Proteus, Pseudomonas, Alcaligenes, Lactobacillus,
Leuconostoc, Streptococcus, Micrococcus and Sarcina.
7. Bacon:
Aspergillus, Alternaria, Monilia, Oidium, Fusarium, Mucor, Rhizopus, Botrytis and Penicillium.
8. Sausages:
Greening of sausage is due to the production of peroxides (Ex: H2O2) by hetero-fermentative sps of Lactobacillus and
Leuconostoc or other catalase negative bacteria.
Acid forming Micrococci (Micrococcus candidus) and Bacillus may grow in liver sausage and bologna.
SPOILAGE OF DIFFERENT KINDS OF MEATS
9. Ham:
Souring caused by Alcaligenes, Bacillus, Pseudomonas, Lactobacillus, Proteus, Serratia, Bacterium,
Micrococcus, Clostridum.
Souring can be caused by Lactobacillus and Micrococcus and slime by Leuconostoc or Micrococcus lipolytics.
SPOILAGE IS ALSO INFLUENCED BY TEMPERATURE
Not only air but temperature has an important influence on the type of spoilage to be expected in meat.
When meat is held at temp. near 0°C, microbial growth is limited to molds, yeasts, & bacteria able to grow
at low temperatures.
Many bacteria can cause souring. Such as Pseudomonas, Lactobacillus, Leuconostoc, Streptococcus.. etc.
Thank you