Microbial Examination of Meat

Question: Discuss about theMicrobial Examination of Meat. Answer: Introduction Many genera of molds grow on meat surface which causes spoilage. They can grow on meat which is stored below five degrees centigrade. The freshly cut meat in the refrigerator at extremely high humidity undergoes bacterial spoilage. The extrinsic and intrinsic parameters of ground beef favor bacterial growth. The spoilage of meat is characterized by the appearance of off odors and slime. This is indicated at a point when surface load exceeds 107 CFU/cm2. The slime is as a result of bacterial cell accumulation. The spoilage of meat occurs in the absence of substantial decomposition of structure of primary protein. The spoilage bacteria use glucose, free amino acids, and other simple nitrogenous compound to acquire a population of around 108 CFU/cm2. This is the point at which meat organoleptic quality will precisely reveal that the meat is spoilt (Nychas et al. 2012). The microorganisms like mold and bacteria present in meat cause the breakdown of fats and proteins which spoil the meat. After the death of an animal, cells in meat begin to decompose without being substituted by newfangled cells. Accordingly, meat becomes spoilt in the absence of proper storage. Chemicals in it gradually decline to a level at which meat becomes flabby to be consumed. Exposure to light and heat speed up the decomposition. The bacteria initially present in animals flesh before it died or those that invade it after death will be the agents for spoilage. The rotten, sulfurize and sour odor shows that bacterial colony has hit dangerous heights (Koutsoumanis et al. 2013). Mold like warm or moist places with a lot of sources of food like meat that makes a great dwelling for a mold colony. The mold spread over the meat surface in fuzzy or colorful patches which alter the texture and taste of meat in a manner which most people find unsafe or regarded spoiled. Various types of pathogenic microorganism grow on meat including Bacillus, Staph, salmonella, clostridium, yeast and molds, E.coli. These microorganisms infect meat even during processing, cutting, packaging, transportation, sales, and handling. Other bacteria include: B. proteus Faecal streptococci S. epidermis Shigella spp. Cl. Welchil They are carried by humans, and those infectious ones from soil include Cl. Botulinum. On the other hand, the conventional mold infecting meat include: Penicillium Mucor Cladosporium Alternaria Thamnidium Sporotrichium The above microorganisms colonize meat and start to break the piece down. In the process, the toxins that cause enteritis are left behind which are lethal in the case of botulism. These microorganisms can affect an animal as an endogenous disease (alive animal) or exogenous disease (contaminating the meet after butchered) (Borch, Kant-Muermans and Blixt 2011). Care has to be taken after slaughter to avoid infection of meat via contact with various sources of infection. Various tests during production and processing of meat can help detect the presence of these infectious microorganisms. References Borch, E., Kant-Muermans, M.L. and Blixt, Y., 2011. Bacterial spoilage of meat and cured meat products. International journal of food microbiology, 33(1), pp.103-120. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/016816059601135X Koutsoumanis, K., Stamatiou, A., Skandamis, P. and Nychas, G.J., 2013. Development of a microbial model for the combined effect of temperature and pH on spoilage of ground meat, and validation of the model under dynamic temperature conditions. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 72(1), pp.124-134. https://aem.asm.org/content/72/1/124.full.pdf+html Nychas, G.J.E., Skandamis, P.N., Tassou, C.C. and Koutsoumanis, K.P., 2012. Meat spoilage during distribution. Meat science, 78(1), pp.77-89. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Chrysoula_Tassou/publication/51776279_Meat_spoilage_during_distribution/links/09e415005712d75ff6000000/Meat-spoilage-during-distribution.pdf