Vacuum-packed beef primals with extremely long shelf life have unusual microbiological counts

Abstract

When vacuum-packed striploins and cube rolls processed by six Australian establishments were stored at 2 0.5°C to determine their shelf life, all product was acceptable organoleptically for at least 26 weeks. The aerobic plate counts and counts of lactic acid bacteria over the storage period did not accord with those established by previous studies, i.e., stationary phase attained at 7 to 8 log CFU/cm2 after 5 to 8 weeks followed by the development of negative sensory characteristics around 12 to 16 weeks. Rather, counts rarely progressed to 7 log CFU/cm2 even after 30 weeks. It is believed that the combined effects of meat pH, temperature, and CO2 concentration may combine to create conditions in which little or no growth occurs.