Control of product temperatures during the storage and transport of bulk containers of manufacturing beef

The temperatures of bulk containers of manufacturing beef dispatched from five packing plants to two processing plants were monitored. Central temperatures of containers selected at random were measured, immediately after containers were filled and on the arrival of containers at the processing plants. Temperature histories were recorded from the surfaces of meat masses in randomly selected containers, from the time that each container was filled to the time of its being emptied for processing of the meat. Each temperature history was integrated with respect to models describing the dependencies on temperature of the growths of Escherichia coli and leuconostocs. The addition of CO2 snow to all containers being filled with meat reduced the temperatures of product from as high as 18 degrees C to chiller temperatures. The average temperatures of the surfaces of meat masses, and their central temperatures on arrival at processing plants were <5 degrees C. Consequently, most growth of E. coli was calculated to be insignificant, and none exceeded 1.2 generations. However, storage efficiency factors calculated from leuconostoc proliferations indicated that storage efficiencies were mostly <50%. Objective procedures for determining the amounts of CO2 snow added to containers seem to be required to assure the attainment of low chiller temperatures and consequent good control of the proliferations of spoilage and cold tolerant, pathogenic bacteria. (C) 1997 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd on behalf of the Canadian Institute of Food Science and Technology.