Influence of storage temperature on the quality of beef liver; pH as a reliable indicator of beef liver spoilage
✍ Scribed by Hern�ndez-Herrero, M Manuela; Roig-Sagu�s, Artur X; L�pez-Sabater, Emilio I; Rodr�guez-Jerez, Jos� J; Mora-Ventura, M Teresa
- Publisher
- John Wiley and Sons
- Year
- 1999
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 101 KB
- Volume
- 79
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0022-5142
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✦ Synopsis
The development of the microbial ¯ora speci®cally involved in the spoilage of sliced beef livers packaged and stored under aerobic conditions at 0 and 3 °C for 14 days was studied. Changes in the pH value of the product were also determined. The possibility that pH value could be considered as a quick and reliable indicator of incipient spoilage was particularly considered. All microbial groups (except micrococci) showed differences in their rates of growth between 0 and 3 °C. Pseudomonads and lactic acid bacteria were the main components of the spoilage ¯ora. When the 37 °C aerobic plate counts (APCs) reached 10 5 ±10 6 CFU g À1 and the 20 °C APCs and pseudomonad counts reached 10 6 ± 10 7 CFU g À1 , visible surface colonies (VSCs) were observed. The presence of VSCs is the most important criterion to determine organoleptic beef liver spoilage and has hence enabled us to establish a shelf-life of up to 8±10 and 5.5±6.5 days for samples stored at 0 and 3 °C respectively. Our study shows that the determination of pH, which is simple, economical and rapid, is capable of giving a reliable estimate of the spoilage status of beef livers. pH values lower than 6.15 may be considered as indicative of beef liver spoilage.