Single or multiple decontamination interventions involving lauric arginate on beef trimmings to enhance microbial safety of ground beef

Inoculated (Escherichia coli O157:H7 and 6 non-O157 Shiga toxin-producing E. coli strains and Salmonella Typhimurium definitive type 104 and Salmonella Newport multidrug-resistant AmpC; 105 cfu/mL) beef trimmings (1.6 kg/treatment per replicate) were treated with lauric arginate (LA; 5%) alone or followed by 0.4% cetylpyridinum chloride (LAC), 4% sodium metasilicate (LAN), 0.02% peroxyacetic acid (LAP), 10% trisodium phosphate (LAT), or sterile water (LAW). Uninoculated (CON) and inoculated untreated (INCON) control trimmings along with treated trimmings were individually ground and 200-g samples were overwrap-packaged and stored under simulated retail conditions (4 °C) until sampled on d 0, 1, 2, and 3 of display for microbiological analysis and CIE L*, a*, and b* measurements (n = 3/sample). All treatments had lower (P < 0.05) coliform, E. coli, and Salmonella counts compared with INCON from d 1 to 3 of display. The LAC, LAN, LAP, and LAT treatments surpassed others in controlling Salmonella, with up to 2 log reductions on d 1 through 3 of display. The LA, LAN, LAT, and LAW treated ground beef had similar (P > 0.05) L* to CON. Lauric arginate alone (LA) or followed by water (LAW) surpassed (P < 0.05) other treatments for a* of ground beef. However, LAC, LAN, LAP, and LAT treated samples maintained similar (P > 0.05) a* to CON and INCON samples. The results suggest that LA alone or followed by selected antimicrobials on beef trimmings may provide successful decontamination interventions to enhance microbial quality of consequent ground beef without adverse effects on ground beef color.