Influences of weight and thickness on cooking time required for various mechanically tenderized beef steaks to reach minimum safe internal temperature without resting

Changes in Texture Characteristics and Special Requirements of Sichuan-Style Braised Beef for Industrial Production: Based on the Changes in Protein and Lipid of Beef

This study aimed to investigate the optimal stewing time (0, 30, 60, 90, 120, and 150 min) for industrialized preparation of Sichuan-style braised beef with different demands. With prolonged stewing time, the hardness and chewiness of the braised beef initially increased and then decreased (p < 0.05), whereas springiness and cohesiveness gradually decreased. The moisture content of braised beef and the endogenous fluorescence intensity of braised beef protein significantly decreased (p < 0.05). However, the thiobarbituric acid reaction substances (TBARS) value and protein carbonyl content of braised beef greatly increased (p < 0.05). During the stewing process, the texture properties of Sichuan-style braised beef were affected by the moisture content, oxidation of proteins and lipids, and integrity of the muscle fibers. Considering texture traits, when Sichuan-style pre-braised beef bought by consumers is stewed with other ingredients for about 30 min, its corresponding stewing time is 60 min in industrialized production processes. This process parameter can not only save energy consumption for practical production, but also improve the hardness value of the as-obtained Sichuan-style pre-braised beef, which is conducive to transportation through refraining from cracking of pre-braised beef pieces. When consumers only use simple heating to eat the Sichuan-style pre-braised beef product, stewing times of 120 or 150 min can be considered in industrialized production processes. This work provided a theoretical reference for the industrialized and standardized production of different types of prepared Sichuan-style braised beef.

Effect of postmortem tenderization strategies (pretumbling, blade tenderization, moisture enhancement) on processing yield parameters and eating quality of selected hip and loin muscles from youthful and mature beef carcasses

Several muscles from mature beef carcasses have been identified as failing to provide adequate tenderness required for a satisfactory consumer eating experience. Postmortem processing strategies can help improve the tenderness and subsequent eating quality of mature beef muscles. The current study was undertaken to investigate the impact of processing strategies (blade tenderization [BT], pretumbling [PT], and moisture enhancement [ME]), alone and in combination, on processing yield and eating quality-related parameters of selected loin and hip muscles (gluteus medius [GM], longissimus lumborum [LL], semimembranosus [SM], and biceps femoris [BF]) from youthful and mature beef cattle. Results indicate that muscles from mature beef were inherently less tender (P < 0.05), but some tenderization procedures produced meat that was similar in tenderness to that of youthful cattle. Of the different tenderization strategies evaluated, BT followed by ME (injection of a salt/phosphate solution) was the most effective strategy for improving (P < 0.05) tenderness of tougher muscle cuts such as BF and SM. Moisture enhancement alone improved tenderness (P < 0.05) and juiciness (P < 0.01) of SM, GM and LL, but with the exception of samples tenderized prior to injection, was not effective (P > 0.05) in BF muscles. No additional tenderization of GM and LL samples was observed (P > 0.05) by combining PT or BT with ME. Combining PT or BT with ME; however, was effective (P < 0.05) to control the increased purge loss observed following ME treatment in SM and LL muscles. Pretumbling as a single treatment was ineffective (P > 0.05) in all of the muscles, and only treatments that included BT were sufficient to effect an increase (P < 0.05) in tenderness of BF.

The implementation of the five keys to safer food in campus cafeterias and the effects on Escherichia coli contamination

The World Health Organization developed five keys to safer food’s guidelines. This study aimed to determine the relationships between food handlers’ knowledge, attitudes, and behavior to the guideline and Escherichia coli (E. coli) contamination of food served at campus cafeterias. This cross-sectional study was carried out by interviewing 98 food handlers selling food and by testing samples for E. coli. The dependent variable was E. coli contamination, while the independent variables were the knowledge, attitudes, and behavior of food handlers based on the guideline. Each independent variable had five sub-variables that corresponded to the guideline. The data were analyzed using chisquare and logistic regression tests. The results showed that food handlers’ knowledge of cooking food thoroughly was significantly related to E. coli contamination (P=0.54 [P<0.05]; OR=2.990;95%CI:1.093– 8.180). Furthermore, the food handlers’ attitudes toward cooking food thoroughly were related to E. coli contamination (P=0.58 [P<0.05]; OR=0.385;95%CI:0.157– 0.944). There were two factors related to E. coli contamination: the food handlers’ knowledge of and attitudes toward the third key of the five keys to food safety.

Palatability assessments of beef strip loin steaks portioned by weight or by thickness sourced from various carcass weight/ribeye area size combinations

Beef carcasses (n = 90; U.S. Choice) met a 3 ribeye area (REA - Small, Medium, Large) × 3 carcass weight (CW - Light, Intermediate, Heavy) scheme to assess palatability on steaks cut by portion thickness (PT- 3.18 cm) and weight (PW -340 g). Significant interactions revealed trends for steaks from the Small REA, regardless of CW, to have among the lowest shear-force values. For PT steaks, significant interaction for overall liking revealed no differences for Small and Medium REA across all CW categories, but steaks from Large REA from Light CW differed (P < 0.05) from the other two CW categories. For PT steaks, overall liking and tenderness liking scores were higher (P < 0.05) for Small REA compared to other categories, whereas CW did not influence any palatability trait. REA and CW do impact beef steak palatability, though steaks from all combinations were "very tender" and highly acceptable from a palatability standpoint.

Cooking of meat: effect on texture, cooking loss and microbiological quality – a review

Cooking can positively affect meat tenderness, on the other hand, the heat treatment also causes weight loss. The resulting tenderness of cooked meat is influenced by the background toughness of fresh meat, by the post mortem ageing process and by the method of cooking. In the case of heat treatment, the temperature and duration of action play a key role. In this respect, the meat tenderness depends on the type of appliance used for cooking. The cooking loss of meat during heat treatment is caused by contraction of muscle fibres and intramuscular connective tissue, the intensity of which also depends on the temperature and device used. The extent of this contraction increases with increasing temperature. Cooking of meat is considered the most effective way of eliminating microorganisms causing food-borne diseases. The recommended combination of temperature and time of 70 °C for 2 min reduces the number of Listeria monocytogenes bacteria by more than 6 log. This temperature is not, however, always attained with the use of many meat cooking methods, such as grilling or frying. This presents the risk of survival of food-borne agents. The latest knowledge indicates that, in the case of cross contamination, the population of food-borne agents is of the order of 1–2 log CFU/cm2 or g. If they do not multiply as a result of a higher environmental temperature, the population of pathogenic bacteria present is then reliably eliminated during adequate cooking, either entirely or to an amount that does not suffice to induce illness.

Evaluation of Antimicrobial Interventions against E. coli O157:H7 on the Surface of Raw Beef to Reduce Bacterial Translocation during Blade Tenderization

The US Department of Agriculture, Food Safety Inspection Service (USDA-FSIS) considers mechanically-tenderized beef as “non-intact” and a food safety concern because of the potential for translocation of surface Escherichia coli O157:H7 into the interior of the meat that may be cooked “rare or medium-rare” and consumed. We evaluated 14 potential spray interventions on E. coli O157:H7-inoculated lean beef wafers (~10⁶ CFU/cm², n = 896) passing through a spray system (18 s dwell time, ~40 pounds per square inch, PSI) integrated into the front end of a Ross TC-700MC tenderizer. Inoculated and processed beef wafers were stomached with D/E neutralizing broth and plated immediately, or were held in refrigerated storage for 1-, 7-, or 14-days prior to microbial enumeration. Seven antimicrobials that showed better performance in preliminary screening on beef wafers were selected for further testing on beef subprimals in conjunction with blade tenderization. Boneless top sirloin beef subprimals were inoculated at ~2 × 10⁴ CFU/cm² with a four-strain cocktail of E. coli O157:H7 and passed once, lean side up, through an integrated spray system and blade tenderizer. Core samples obtained from each subprimal were examined for the presence/absence of E. coli O157:H7. The absence of E. coli O157:H7 in core samples correlated with the ability of the antimicrobials to reduce bacterial levels on the surface of beef prior to blade tenderization.