44-1 |
Novel purge collection system for microbiological analyses of meat |
K. W. MCMILLIN, Dept. of Animal Science, Louisiana State Univ. Agricultural Center, 105 J.B. Francioni Hall, Baton Rouge, LA 70803-4210 Microbiological determinations of meat have relied upon meat sampling from containers using coring devices or random piece selection from large containers. Solid samples are blended with diluent before plating and counting using rapid or traditional incubation procedures. Meat in large containers has liquid purge that drips from the meat into the bottom of the container during cold storage. Several studies have indicated that purge sampling is more representative of the microbial profile of the meat than core sampling, but the higher microbial counts in purge may be a concentration effect of surface bacteria compared with counts from cored meat samples. Purge sampling is nondestructive and does not appear to be influenced by fat percentage. Difficulties in collecting purge have been with tilting of large containers to obtain the purge, sanitizing the exterior of containers, and extraction of purge via drainage or suction. A joint project between LSU AgCenter scientists and Paknology LLC, Livingston, TX personnel resulted in development of a tube collection device and pump for removal of purge from the bottom of large containers. The joint patent application considers several configurations of the system for different types of containers (fiberboard or polyethylene), the nature of the product, and the amount of fluid exuded during storage. Purge can be collected into any container of choice and a specific volume then diluted for microbiological testing. The Purge Collector System became commercially available in December 2002. Current applications show that this purge collection system offers the meat industry a useful, inexpensive, and reliable method to conduct microbial testing of meat in large containers. It minimizes efforts of collection and sample preparation for use with traditional or rapid analytical techniques.
Session 44, NEW PRODUCTS & TECHNOLOGIES
|