Microbiological safety of fresh beef sausage

Abstract

Fresh sausages are meat products produced all over the world. They can be prepared from one or mixed types of fresh meat (e.g. pork, beef or chicken) minced, and mixed with other ingredients, such as salt, pepper or aromatic plants. Fresh sausages are a highly perishable food product that favour microbial growth of spoilage and pathogenic organisms during their production and throughout their shelf-life. They are also prone to lipid oxidation due to their high fat content. Therefore, it is very important to consider the packaging method as well as storage conditions, namely temperature control. This study aims to evaluate the microbiological safety, pH, aW and colour of fresh beef sausages over 14 days under refrigeration, considering the use of 'Cachena' meat (beef) in the sausage formulation. Three independent batches were prepared, and analyses were performed at 0, 5, 10 and 14 days of storage. Samples were stored under vacuum at 2 ± 2°C. Microbiological analysis, pH, aW and colour (L*a*b*) were assessed. Data were statistically analyzed using ANOVA and Tukey's HSD test (p<0.05). The presence of Salmonella spp. and Listeria monocytogenes was not detected in any of the samples analysed. There was a significant increase (p<0.05) in total mesophilic (from 6.96 log cfu g-1 ± 0.44 on day 0 to 9.00 log cfu g-1 ± 0.65), and psychrotrophic microorganisms, lactic acid bacteria and enterobacteria (6.02 log cfu g-1 ± 0.55 on day 0 to 6.52 log cfu g-1 ± 0.73) throughout the storage period. No significant changes (p>0.05) were recorded during the 14 days of storage for pH (around 5.40), aW (around 0.93) and colour. The results show slightly high values compared to other authors, so measures should be taken to reduce contaminations throughout the manufacturing process of fresh sausages.