Source: Julie Larson Bricher, MEATINGPLACE, 8/20/18

Scientists from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service, Eastern Regional Research Center (ARS-ERRC) have developed validated dynamic models that can be used to predict the shelf-life of ground beef and to conduct risk assessment of E. coli O157:H7 and non-O157 STEC.

Researchers investigated the dynamic growth of E. coli O157:H7 and background flora in ground beef, both irradiated and non-irradiated, under changing temperature conditions. Among the dynamic models developed, a one-step method successfully modeled the growth and competition between the pathogen and background organisms.

The estimated minimum growth temperature for E. coli O157:H7 was 7.7?°C, and the maximum cell concentration was 9.0 log CFU/g in irradiated ground beef. Under competition, the specific growth rate of E. coli O157:H7 was reduced by approximately 18 percent in raw ground beef.

Read the abstract in the online peer-reviewed journal Food Control.

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