Application of Electron-Beam Irradiation Combined with Aging for Improvement of Microbiological and Physicochemical Quality of Beef Loin

The combined effects of irradiation and aging temperature on the microbial and chemical quality of beef loin were investigated. The samples were vacuum-packaged, irradiated at 0 or 2 kGy using electron-beam (EB), and stored for 10 d at different aging temperatures (2, 14, or 25℃). The microbial growth, shear values, meat color, and nucleotide-related flavor compounds of the samples were analyzed. The irradiation effect on inactivation of foodborne pathogens was also investigated. The population of Listeria monocytogenes and Escherhia coli O157:H7 inoculated in beef samples decreased in proportion to the irradiation dose. Irradiation reduced the total aerobic bacteria (TAB) over the storage, but higher aging temperature increased the TBA. Thus TAB increased sharply in non-irradiated and high temperature-aged (14, 25℃) beef samples after 5 d. With increasing aging temperature and aging time, shear force values decreased. Lipid oxidation could be reduced by short aging time at low aging temperature. The color a* values of the irradiated beef were lower than those of the non-irradiated throughout the aging period. As aging period and temperature increased, IMP decreased and hypoxanthine increased. Considering microbial and physicochemical properties, irradiation can be used for raw beef to be aged at relatively high temperature to shorten aging time and cost.