Effectiveness of different myoglobin states to minimize high pressure induced discoloration in raw ground beef

High pressure processing (HPP), a non-thermal pasteurization technique, can reduce deadly pathogens, such as E. coli O157:H7 and other Shiga toxin producing E. coli in raw ground meat, however, its use is limited due to discoloration. As different states of myoglobin have inherently different color stability, the objective of this study was to determine the impact of those states on the color stability of raw beef patties treated with high pressure processing. Modified atmosphere packaging (high oxygen - oxymyoglobin, carbon monoxide - carboxymyoglobin), vacuum packaging (deoxymyoglobin) or added potassium ferricyanide (metmyoglobin) treatments were used to prepare patties with desired myoglobin states. Color was measured (CIE L*, a*, b*) with or without HPP over a storage period of 21 days. Statistical analysis (SAS GLIMMIX) was run to see the main effects of myoglobin states and HPP treatment and their interactions within each day of storage. While all HPP treated beef patties showed significant (P < 0.001) changes in color with increased lightness (L*) and yellowness (b*), carboxymyoglobin states showed improved color retention, as compared with the other myoglobin states.