Is radiation the answer to red meat fears?
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The ability to preserve food in a state that is both appetising and nutritious is a basic requirement for health. Food poisoning represents a major source of illness and loss of productivity in many developed countries. Of particular concern in recent years are outbreaks of food poisoning associated with Escherichia coli O157:H7 or Listeria monocytogenes, many of which have been associated with the consumption of ground meat. Many of the chemicals presently licensed for use as food preservatives are increasingly being questioned with regard to their effects on humans, creating pressure on food suppliers to consider the use of 'natural' alternatives to these chemical agents. The potential use of one such agent, the lactoperoxidase system (LPS), for use in ground meat preparations is examined in this study. The degree of inhibition of growth of E. coli O157:H7, L. monocytogenes L45 and S. aureus R37 by LPS was examined in a broth system at 37 degrees C and in a ground beef system at 0, 6 and 12 degrees C. The degree of inhibition by LPS of natural populations of microorganisms present in ground beef obtained from eight retail outlets and incubated at room temperature was also examined. For each of the strains examined, sensitivity from most to least sensitive followed the order L. monocytogenes L45, S. aureus R37 and E. coli O157:H7. In each case the ability of LPS to inhibit growth was highly temperature dependent and maximal at a temperature permissive but not optimal for growth of the test strain. The numbers of bacteria detected in ground beef obtained from retail outlets varied considerably between the eight samples. In all cases, numbers of bacteria increased markedly in the uninhibited control over the 4 h incubation time and, with the exception of one faecal coliform count, growth of the microbial populations was strongly inhibited by the presence of LPS. It was concluded that LPS could potentially be applied to a considerably wider range of food products than those to which it is presently restricted.
Demand is not measured by per capita consumption. Demand is a schedule of the quantities consumers will take at alternative prices. The level of demand and demand changes over time are tied to consumer incomes, prices of substitutes, and consumer tastes and preferences. Critical to increasing meat demand is a greater understanding of consumer preferences for new meat products. Developing branded products such as "natural" or "guaranteed-tender" beef may not be the answer for all cattle producers, but research suggests that there are segments of the population willing to pay premiums for such products. Differentiating meat products through technology and branding provides a means of better meeting consumers' desires and increasing overall demand for meat and livestock.
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In this study we examined 730 faecal samples of offal (mainly liver), mince-meat and sausage meat collected from abattoirs and retail butchers' shops for campylobacters. Campylobacter jejuni or C. coli were isolated from 30.6, 10.5 and 6% of sheep, cattle and pig offal samples respectively. Specimens collected from abattoirs were, in general, more often contaminated than material obtained from retail butchers' shops. Only 1.4% of minced meats and sausage meats contained campylobacters. Most isolates (89.5%) were C. jejuni biotype 1 (Skirrow & Benjamin, 1980) of serotypes 1 and 2 (Penner & Hennessy, 1980). This study shows that animal offal is frequently contaminated with C. jejuni of biotypes and serotypes commonly isolated from human beings with campylobacter enteritis.
Several sites on commercial beef, pork and lamb carcasses were sampled at the end of the slaughterline. Total viable counts (TVC) of bacteria were assessed by incubation at 37, 20 and 1 degree C in addition to presumptive coliforms (PC), Enterobacteriaceae (ENT) and faecal streptococci (FS). Statistical analyses showed consistently dirty sites within an abattoir but these sites varied from one abattoir to another. Inter-site differences were unaffected by the incubation temperature of the TVC. Numbers of PC, ENT and FS did not mimic TVC. Empirical sampling plans are proposed to detect the highest count on a carcass by bulking samples from known dirty sites. At the end of the slaughterline TVC 37 degrees C is the most useful bacteriological index.
Sampling of lamb (n = 100) and beef (n = 100) carcasses in abattoirs in Northern Ireland produced no evidence of Campylobacter spp. contamination and when retail packs of beef (n = 50) and pork (n = 50) were sampled these were also apparently free of Campylobacter spp. However, 38% of retail packs of chicken pieces (n = 120), yielded Campylobacter spp. These packs were purchased over a period of 1 year and came from a single local producer. After the species of the isolates had been determined (Campylobacter jejuni and Camp. coli were found in approximately equal numbers) they were subtyped using both polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) and the random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) method of typing. All of the poultry isolates were successfully typed by these methods, in contrast to the results obtained with serotyping where several isolates were found to be untypable. PCR-RFLP typing showed that specific subtypes were isolated repeatedly over a period of 1 year in the output of the producer studied. The more discriminating RAPD confirmed this observation, but with fewer isolates. This appears to indicate recurrent infection of broilers whose source can now be investigated using the methodologies developed.
Two studies were conducted to investigate the role of meat and arachidonic acid in colonic signal transduction, particularly protein kinase C (PKC) activation. In Study 1, 26 male Wistar rats were fed a casein- or a beef-based diet for four weeks. PKC activity was measured from the proximal and distal colonic mucosa and diacylglycerol concentration from fecal samples. The beef diet significantly increased membrane PKC activity in the proximal and distal colon and cytosolic PKC in the distal colon. No differences were found in fecal diacylglycerol concentration for the rats maintained on the two diets. In Study 2, 57 male Wistar rats were divided into three dietary treatment groups: a control group, a group supplemented with arachidonic acid at 8 mg/day (an amount equivalent to that available from the beef diet in Study 1), and a group supplemented with fish oil at 166 mg/day. After a four-week supplementation period, 6 rats per group were used for colonic phospholipid fatty acid analysis and 13 rats per group were used for analysis of colonic prostaglandin E2 concentration, sphingomyelinase, and PKC activities. Supplementation of dietary arachidonic acid resulted in incorporation of arachidonic acid into colonic phosphatidylcholine, which was associated with an increase in mucosal prostaglandin E2 concentration compared with the fish oil group. However, arachidonate supplementation had no effect on sphingomyelinase or PKC activities. These data indicate that meat significantly increases colonic PKC activity, but this effect is probably not due to the arachidonic acid content of meat.
Three ergonomics-related case studies are presented to demonstrate the problem-solving method used by two participatory ergonomics teams. The problem-solving method was adapted from principles related to quality management (e.g., participation, structure, a scientific approach, and decision by consensus). The first two steps of the problem-solving method were related to identification and evaluation of the problem; the latter three steps were related to solution development, implementation, and evaluation. The problem evaluation process included the collection of background, exposure, and effects data. Solution development following evaluation of the problem started with a brainstorming session, then discussion to select interventions by consensus. The format for presenting the case studies was intended to be concise and visual with the intent of effectively documenting the teams' problem-solving processes.
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Gamma irradiation sensitivity of a strain of Listeria monocytogenes was determined in trypticase soy broth supplemented with yeast extract (TSB-YE), in a slurry of chicken breast meat and in raw ground beef. D10 values in these different media were 0.364, 0.599, and 0.699 kGy, respectively. This organism appeared most sensitive in TSB-YE, more resistant in minced fresh chicken breast meat, and most resistant in fresh minced beef. It was found that irradiation at 2.5 kGy prior to refrigeration is an efficient way for the preservation of meat products contaminated at 10(3) to 10(4) per gram initial load of L. monocytogenes for about 7 d. However, with this initial load, the injured cells might repair themselves and cause a health hazard during storage at 4 C in the presence of air after 7 d.
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Campylobacter fetus subsp. jejuni was commonly present in the feces of unweaned calves (2 to 3 weeks old) and from two of four groups of sheep. One new season lamb (12 to 16 weeks old) carried the organism, but the bacteria were not isolated from cattle. With unweaned calves, the fractions of animals infected and carcasses contaminated were similar. Contamination of carcasses usually involved low densities of C. fetus subsp. jejuni (ca. 1 to 10/cm2), which were isolated from flank but not rump areas. The organism was recovered less frequently from chilled carcasses and deboned veal. Small numbers of C. fetus subsp. jejuni could be recovered from equipment during the processing of unweaned calves but not after routine cleaning.
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