MEAT SURFACE DECONTAMINATION USING LACTIC-ACID FROM CHEMICAL AND MICROBIAL SOURCES

Meat surface contamination by microorganisms has been a major problem in storing carcasses in semitropical climates or when meat is subject to high temperature conditions in industrialized areas. Inexpensive methods of reducing these undesirable populations have been designed, such as sprays containing chlorine or organic acids. Of these, treatments with lactic acid have proved to be very efficient. The sensory characteristics of meat are determined by a number of chemical factors which may be affected by treatments to reduce meat contamination. Any potential treatment for the extension of shelf-life of raw meat should take into consideration a minimum alteration of its sensory characteristics. From work done at refrigeration temperatures, it is known that addition of organic acids could be a way to reduce microbial population, increasing raw meat shelf-life. However, a viable alternative is to promote a controlled lactic fermentation in the meat surface by applying selected strains of lactic acid bacteria, which reduce undesirable microbial populations, without considerable alteration of its sensory characteristics. The objective of this paper is to review the possibilities of applying meat surface decontamination at temperatures above 15°C. © 1994 Academic Press.