Effect of Irradiation Gamma to Reduction Colony Counting-Units in Jerked Beef

Abstract

The increasing meat production triggered the need to develop preservation techniques, and between them salting is the most common. From the twentieth century another method of conservation was now being applied irradiation, treatment terminal used in the packaged product. The most salted meat consumed in Brazil is the Jerked Beef that differs to Jerky from that having higher moisture content and ripening faster. The objective of this study was to determine by counting colonies, the effectiveness of irradiation in reducing to the colony-forming units per grams (CFU/g). Three batches were obtained with three samples weighing 500g each. Under sterile conditions, the meat was cut and weighed generating sub-samples which were assigned to the control group and the radiation source for irradiating with cobalt-60 (dose rate 6,619 kGy/h). We used doses of 2, 4 and 6 kGy. The sub-samples were added to an Erlenmeyer with sterile distilled water, and were left to stand having forming a water desalting. Aliquots of these waters were plated and incubated. The results were for the control group ranged from 5.0x105 to 5.0x1016 CFU /g, at a dosage of 2kGy was 1.7x105 to 1.1x1012 CFU /g, at a dosage of 4kGy 0 to 9.0x1010 CFU/g and the dose of from 6kGy was 0 to 1.3x105 CFU /g. In the final analysis it was found that all lots were presented contamination upon which would be allowed in the order of 5.0x103.For the reducing CFU/g the doses 4kGy and 6kGy were the most effective.