LOW-DOSE GAMMA-IRRADIATION AND REFRIGERATION TO EXTEND SHELF-LIFE OF AEROBICALLY PACKED FRESH BEEF ROUND

A 2-kGy gamma (low-dose) irradiation was applied to fresh top round from beef animals slaughtered and fabricated at commercial facilities. Cuts were packed in polyethylene film and stored at 1-degrees-C. Temperature abuse (9-degrees-C/24h) was simulated during storage. Psychrotroph counts on nonirradiated samples reached 10(7) CFU/cm2 between 8 and 11 d of storage, while similar counts were found after 28 d of storage on low-dose irradiated samples. Pseudomonads, Enterobacteriaceae, and Brochotrix thermosphacta were strongly inhibited on irradiated samples. No changes in organoleptic attributes were observed by a trained panel on treated samples. Low-dose irradiated samples had an average of 17 more shelf life days than the nonirradiated counterparts based on psychrotroph counts status and under the experimental condition being tested in this study.