Efficacy of Electrostatically Sprayed Activin (Activated Lactoferrin), Hot Water, High Pressure Water and Lactic Acid Individually and Used in a Multi- Hurdle Approach to Remove Escherichia Coli O157:h7 from Beef Tissues

Abstract

Activin applied electrostatically was investigated as a microbial intervention through 3 experiments: Experiment 1) Comparison of Activin, hot water rinse, 2% lactic acid spray, Activin Buffer, high pressure water rinse 3s 15s and high pressure water rinse 15s to reduce E. coli O157:H7 on inoculated (6 log CFU/cm2) adipose tissue. 2) Evaluation of National Beef Packing Company's multi-hurdle sequence with Activin and without Activin on E. coli O157:H7 on adipose and lean tissue. 3) Reduction of total plate counts, Coliforms, Enterobacteriaceae, and lactic acid bacteria on uninoculated lean and adipose tissue treated with the sequences from experiment 2 and stored for 7 days (7? C). Treatments containing Activin in experiments 1 and 2 were no more effective than any other treatment against E. coli O157:H7. Activin containing sequence had greater reductions on coliforms on adipose tissue and on Lactic acid bacteria for lean tissue after storage, than treatments not containing Activin.