Evaluation of Hot Water Wash Parameters to Achieve Maximum Effectiveness in Reducing Levels of Salmonella Typhimurium, Escherichia coli O157:H7 and coliforms/Escherichia coli on Beef Carcass Surfaces
Abstract
This study measured and compared different temperatures and dwell times of hot water treatment on the reduction of Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella Typhimurium on beef carcass surfaces. Two different types of beef surfaces, lean and fat, were inoculated with a fecal slurry containing E. coli O157:H7 and S. Typhimurium at ca. 7-log CFU/g, washed to remove gross fecal matter, and rinsed with hot water between 66 and 82 degrees C (150 to 180 degrees F water) for either 5, 10, or 15 s. There were no differences (P > 0.05) in the log reductions of S. Typhimurium and E. coli O157:H7 on the lean surfaces for all three temperature treatments (66, 74, and 82 degrees C). Although the 15 s treatment resulted in a numerically higher log reduction than the other treatments, each of the times resulted in at least a 1 log reduction of both S. Typhimurium and E. coli O157:H7 for lean surfaces. For the fat surfaces, all time treatments for the 82 degrees C and the 10 and 15 s treatments for the 74 degrees C resulted in the highest log reduction for S. Typhimurium. The 5 and 10 s dwell times for treatments at 66 degrees C and the 5 s dwell time at 74 degrees C resulted in the lowest log reduction of S. Typhimurium and E. coli O157:H7. For E. coli O157:H7 all temperature and time treatments resulted in at least a 1 log reduction for the fat surfaces of the outside round. Therefore, hot water treatment is a proven method for reducing both coliforms and pathogenic bacteria.
Citation
Davidson, Melissa A. (2010). Evaluation of Hot Water Wash Parameters to Achieve Maximum Effectiveness in Reducing Levels of Salmonella Typhimurium, Escherichia coli O157:H7 and coliforms/Escherichia coli on Beef Carcass Surfaces. Master's thesis, Texas A&M University. Available electronically from https : / /hdl .handle .net /1969 .1 /ETD -TAMU -2010 -05 -7717.