FOOD SAFETY, QUALITY, AND NUTRITIONAL COMPOSITION OF FOODS OF ANIMAL ORIGIN

• Sponsoring Institution: National Institute of Food and Agriculture
• Project Status: TERMINATED
• Funding Source: HATCH
• Reporting Frequency: Annual
• Accession No.: 1003362
• Project No.: TEX0-1-9236
• Project Start Date: Jun 30, 2014
• Project End Date: Jun 17, 2019

Project Director
Gehring, KE, B..

Recipient Organization
TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY
750 AGRONOMY RD STE 2701
COLLEGE STATION,TX 77843-0001

Performing Department
Animal Science

Non Technical Summary
Foods of animal origin are an important component of the diet in the United States. Consumers demand and expect that their food supply will be safe, of acceptable quality, affordable, and provide desired nutritional/health benefits. Illnesses and deaths caused from both food safety and diet related issues can have a major economic impact on society by 1) affecting public health through lost productivity, increased medical expenses, and death, as well as 2) the loss of food product sales.Agriculture and animal production practices continue to change; and therefore, the nutritional composition of meat is dynamic and evolving. There have been tremendous strides in the beef sector to produce leaner livestock that better meet the demands of today's consumers. Nutritional data have not been collected to reflect the beef products currently available in the marketplace; therefore, the available nutrient composition data is not accurate. Gerber et al. (2009) reported meat suffers a bad image, and that it is overlooked meat contains many essential nutrients. This image has caused consumers to use less red meat instead of just avoiding the high-fat meats they have been taught to keep away from (Swize et al., 1992).Therefore, data on nutritional composition of beef products should be collected on an ongoing basis to update the USDA's National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference (SR). Many health organizations and private industries rely on information housed by federal agencies to develop educational materials related to diet and health issues and for proper nutritional labeling of products. The SR provides referencing data for national nutrition policies, diet therapy, nutrition education programs, guidance for pediatric, obstetric, and geriatric populations, as well as a source of information for menu calculations for schools, nursing homes and hospitals. Information in the SR also is used to provide nutrition information for on-pack labels related to nutrient claims. These data are also extremely important to consumers who are trying to make educated decisions about the foods they consume.While consumers may use nutritional information to make purchasing decisions about the types of foods they will consume, the have an expectation that the food will be safe and not cause illness. However, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 48 million people get sick from foodborne illness and 3,000 people die of foodborne disease each year in the U.S. Over 2,000 different Salmonella serotypes have been identified, and all have been determined to be pathogenic to humans (D'Aoust, 1997). Approximately 40,000 cases of salmonellosis are reported (CDC) in the United States each year. Children, the elderly, and the immunocompromised are the most likely to suffer severe conditions.Foodborne disease and contaminated foods can also cause serious economic disruption at the local, national, and international levels. It is estimated that foodborne diseases costs billions of dollars in healthcare-related and industry expenses annually, and the "preventing a single fatal case of E. coli O157 infection would save an estimated $7 million" (CDC, 2014). Foodborne outbreaks and recalls decrease consumer confidence, and threaten the continuous supply of foods for human consumption, as well as the job stability and economic vitality of food producing corporations and national economies.Beef has been shown to represent a potential source of contamination for the consumer (Dorsa et al., 1998; Hinton et al., 1998; and Payne et al., 1991). Studies have documented the effect of diet on E. coli populations (Russell et al., 2000), and the presence in feces at the feedlot (Dargatz et al., 1997; Elder et al., 2000; and Smith et al., 2001). Contamination containing E. coli O157:H7 on the hide is one source of carcass contamination, and may be contributing to the overall incidence rate of E. coli O157:H7 in today's beef products.Because both Salmonella and E. coli O157:H7 are human pathogens and natural inhabitants of cattle, the presence of these organisms in cattle at slaughter and in associated products, poses a potential risk in raw beef products. Processes, such as tenderizing, enhancing and marinating may further increase the risks associated with these hazards. Therefore, it is important that establishments have validated interventions to reduce microbial contamination. Interventions (hot water, steam pasteurization, and organic acid sprays) have been used during harvest, and some interventions are applied to chilled carcasses, cuts, and trimmings.Along with food safety expectations and nutritional concerns, consumers have expectations for desirable quality characteristics, like tenderness, juiciness and flavor. Therefore, it is important that scientific research continues to address nutritional composition, methods for improving the safety, and quality characteristics of food of animal origin. This project is designed to address all of these issues.

Animal Health Component

0%

Research Effort Categories

Basic

10%

Applied

90%

Developmental

0%

Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)	Subject of Investigation (SOI)	Field of Science (FOS)	Percent
712	3320	1100	40%
701	3320	1010	30%
723	3320	1103	30%

Knowledge Area
712 - Protect Food from Contamination by Pathogenic Microorganisms, Parasites, and Naturally Occurring Toxins; 723 - Hazards to Human Health and Safety; 701 - Nutrient Composition of Food;

Subject Of Investigation
3320 - Meat, beef cattle;

Field Of Science
1103 - Other microbiology; 1100 - Bacteriology; 1010 - Nutrition and metabolism;

Keywords

food safety

beef

nutritional composition

quality

tenderness

Goals / Objectives
To provide data related to the safety of food products of animal origin, including the efficacy of antimicrobial treatments or processes on the production of non-intact meat products, methods for reducing microbial contamination of meat products, the ability of pathogens to survive in various processing condition.To provide collect data on current quality characteristics of beef in the retail cases, and on factors, such as dry vs. wet aging and days of aging, that influence the quality of meat.To provide data that will be used to update the USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference for beef.

Project Methods
To address gaps in food safety knowledge, in-plant validation data will be collected in commercial processing establishments. Establishments will be selected based on the processing aids and interventions currently being applied, as well as the types of products (intact, non-intact, and ground beef) being produced. A minimum of 4 different combinations of processing aids/interventions and application methods will be evaluated for this project.Data will be collected at the establishments on the specific processing procedures, as well as the operational parameters of the antimicrobial interventions currently being applied in the operation. For each intervention, in-plant application parameters (i.e., concentration, pH, temperature, pressure, volume, etc.) will be recorded. For intact products, surface antimicrobials/interventions will be evaluated. For non-intact products, surface antimicrobials/interventions will be evaluated as well as internal contamination of the finished product. For ground products, treatment of surface antimicrobials/interventions for trimmings will be evaluated as well as finished ground beef. Background bacterial levels will be determined for each beef product by obtaining microbiological samples before inoculation to evaluate possible natural presence of the marker organisms. For each sample, counts of surrogate microorganisms will be determined by plating appropriate serial dilutions on tryptic soy agar (TSA) supplemented with ampicillin (100 µg/L). Additional microbial data will be collected as needed to ensure appropriate control throughout the project.To provide data related to the quality of food products of animal origin, researchers will conduct a national survey evaluating the tenderness of retail beef cuts. This project will include collaborators from additional universities to assist with collection of cuts from retail stores in at least four major metropolitan areas across the United States. In-store data will include quality grade, enhanced/non-enhanced, brand name, package weight, price/pound, steaks per package, package date, sell by date, and packaging material type. Product will be selected from the retail cases and shipped to the universities for tenderness evaluation using Warner-Bratzler Shear force determination and consumer panel.For Warner-Bratzler Shear force determination frozen steaks will be thawed in a 4?C cooler for 48 h before cooking. Steaks will be cooked on a grated, non-stick electric grill (Hamilton Beach™ Indoor/Outdoor Grill, Southern Pines, NC). All steaks were turned will be removed from the grill upon reaching an internal temperature of 70?C, and will then be cooled for approximately 16 h at 2 to 4?C. After cooling, visible fat and heavy connective tissue will be trimmed to expose muscle fiber orientation. At least six 1.3 cm cores will be removed from each steak at locations from the medial, middle, and lateral portions. Cores will be removed parallel to the muscle fibers and sheared once, perpendicular to the muscle fibers, on a United Testing machine at a cross-head speed of 500 mm/min using an 11.3 kg load cell, and a 1.02 cm thick V-shape blade with a 60° angle and a half-round peak. The peak force (N) needed to shear each core will be recorded, and the mean peak shear force of the cores will be used for statistical analysis.The consumer sensory panelists will be recruited from surrounding communities by randomly calling participants, and through email listserves. A consent form and demographic questionnaire will be completed by each participant. Steak samples will be randomly assigned to panelists for evaluation. Each panelist will receive two 1.27 cm cubes of each sample and evaluate four random samples during each session. Samples will be characterized using a 10-point hedonic scales.To provide data to update the USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference beef products will be collected from commercial beef plants across the country. Carcasses will be selected based on sex class, USDA Quality grade, yield grade, weight, and genetics to best represent cattle that contribute to the US beef supply. Carcass data will be collected on each animal, and both sides of the carcass will be utilized. Beef will be fabricated 5-7 d postmortem into retail cuts. Retail cuts will be vacuum packaged, boxed, and stored in a cooler 0-4ºC. Retail cuts then will be transferred to a -18ºC freezer 21 d postmortem.Retail cuts will be dissected into separable lean, separable fat, and refuse using trained dissectors. Following the procedures in Wahrmund-Wyle et al. (2000), separable lean includes all muscle, intramuscular fat, and any connective tissue trained dissectors considered inedible. After each dissection, technicians are to record the weights of all dissected components ensuring a 99% recovery of each initial cut weight. Lean and fat components will be homogenized and composited for subsequent nutrient analyses. Cooking method of braised, grilled, or roasted will be assigned to the retail cuts that are designated for the cooked treatment. Meat will be thermocoupled in the geometric center, or thickest portion of the cut, and the internal temperature will be recorded. After cooking, samples will be chilled in refrigeration (0-4°C) uncovered 12-24 h post-cooking in preparation for dissection.Beef samples (cooked and raw) will be homogenized using the Robot Coupe Blixer 7 BX 6V batch processor following dissection. The separable lean from the sample will be cut into 2.5 cm pieces. Samples will be placed in liquid nitrogen until completely frozen. Pieces will be transferred to the Robot Coupe 7. The sample will be blended at 1500 rpm for 10 seconds, sides of the bowl will be scraped, and the sample then will be blended at 3500 rpm for 30 seconds. After homogenization, 60 g of powder will be weighed out and aliquot into a Whirlpak® bag for proximate analysis and 100 g will be weighed out and aliquot into a Whirlpak® bag as a back up sample. All samples will be stored in a -80ºC freezer.Percentage of moisture will be determined using AOAC (1990) air, oven-dry method 950.46. Approximately 5 g of powdered sample from each cut and animal will be added to dried, pre-weighed aluminum tins and weights recorded. Analysis of the samples will be performed in triplicate. Samples will be oven dried at 100ºC for 16-18 h then removed and placed in a dessicator for cooling. Percentage of moisture will be calculated by taking the initial weight of the sample, subtracting the dried weight, dividing by the initial weight and multiplying by 100.Crude Protein will be determined using AOAC methods using a Rapid N Cube. Total nitrogen will be determined using a furnace temperature of 1100ºC. Before analysis, the instruction manual instructed the use of three blank standards to calibrate the machine. For calibration, aspartic acid will be used. Approximately 250 mg of sample will be weighed into a foil weigh sheet and a pellet will be made, weighed, and entered. Crude protein levels will be determined by multiplying the total nitrogen by a factor of 6.25. Percentage of ash will be determined using the ash oven method 920.153 AOAC (1990).Total lipid will be extracted using a modified Folch et al. (1957) method. Samples weighing approximately 0.5 g will be homogenized with 20 mL choloroform:methonal (2:1). The homogenate will be filtered through a Buchner funnel with slight suction into a clean tube. The filtrate will receive 8 mL of a 0.74% KCl solution. The two phases will be separated in a centrifuge for 20 min. The upper phase will be siphoned off and the lower phase will be transferred into pre-dried, pre-weighed 100 mL glass scintillation vials. The lower phase will be evaporated using a nitrogen evaporator. Samples will be dried for 20 min at 100ºC, cooled in a dessicator, and weighed to calculate total fat.

Progress 06/30/14 to 06/17/19

Outputs
Target Audience:dietitians, health professionals, meat industry personnel, and government agencies and inspectors Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Graduate students gained hands-on training and experinece in data collection, laboratory procedures, written and verbal communication skills, and overall management efforts. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Results have been disseminated via peer reviewed journal articles, conference proceedings, and industry workshop sessions. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Multiple research projects have been completed and disseminated related to food safety and quality issues of beef and pork, as well as nutritional content of beef. Peer reviewed journal articles have been published to ensure results are available to interested parties and can be used to enhance the safety of these products and to address quality concerns. Abstracts and presentations have been made at domestic and international meetings, such as the International Association of Food Protection's annual meetings, the Beef Industry Food Safety Summit, Reciprocal Meat Conference, and the International Congress of Meat Science and Technology. From a food safety standpoint, results from these projects have added to the knowledge base related to Salmonella contamination in pork and bovine lymph nodes. Data from these and other projects have been used by producers and processors to make changes in production practices to help address pathogen contamination. Reducing pathoghen contamination helps reduce the risk of foodborne illnesses and minimizes product recalls. Product quality is another important factor that influences consumers purchasing decisions. Therefore, data from these research projects have evaluated tenderness of beef products, impacts of aging on quality characteristics, and changes in product practices that impact quality. These data allow producers and processors to make decisions on how to handle products, usch as time and temperature of aging or days of aging. All of these data help ensure that products of animal origin will continue to meet consumer expectations and demands for high quality, safe and nutritious products.

Publications

• Type: Journal Articles Status: Accepted Year Published: 2109 Citation: Nickelson, K. J., T. M. Taylor, D. B. Griffin, J. W. Savell, K. B. Gehring, and A. N. Arnold. 2019. Assessment of Salmonella prevalence in lymph nodes of U.S. and Mexican cattle presented for slaughter in Texas. J. Food Prot. 82:310-315. doi:10.4315/0362-028X.JFP-18-288
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2019 Citation: Gawlik, C. J., A. N. Arnold, T. M. Taylor, J. W. Savell, and K. B. Gehring. 2019. Does treating beef subprimals with UV-light reduce pathogens and impact quality? In: Proc. 72nd Annual Reciprocal Meat Conference, Loveland, Colorado. Abstract 122.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2019 Citation: Davis, H. E., I. Geornaras, T. Engle, J. E. Prenni, H. Yang, V. Lindstrom, A. M. Budde, A. N. Arnold, K. B. Gehring, P. K. Riggs, H. R. Cross, and K. E. Belk. 2019. Depletion and bioaccumulation of ractopamine hydrochloride (RH) in the gastrointestinal tract of bovine. In: Proc. 72 Annual Reciprocal Meat Conference, Loveland, Colorado. Abstract 131.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2019 Citation: Davis, H. E., I. Geornaras, T. E. Engle, J. E. Prenni, H. Yang, V. Lindstrom, A. M. Budde, A. N. Arnold, K. B. Gehring, P. K. Riggs, H. R. Cross, and K. E. Belk. 2019. Low-dose contamination of feed with ractopamine hydrochloride and resulting tissue residue concentrations. In: Proc. 65th International Congress of Meat Science and Technology, Potsdam, Germany. p 230.
• Type: Theses/Dissertations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2019 Citation: Steele, C. C. 2019. Sorting beef subprimals by ribeye size at the packer level to maximize utility and product uniformity in foodservice and retail sectors. M.S. thesis, Texas A&M University, College Station.

Progress 10/01/17 to 09/30/18

Outputs
Target Audience:dietitians, health professionals, meat industry personnel, and government agencies and inspectors Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Graduate students gained hands-on training and experinece in data collection, laboratory procedures, written and verbal communication skills, and overall management efforts. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Results have been disseminated via peer reviewed journal articles, conference proceedings, and industry workshop sessions. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?I will submit grants, conduct research, and disseminate inforamtion on food safety and quality related issues. Graduate students are assisting with on-going collection of data for these areas.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Palatability, color, and aroma of steaks derived from subprimals aged for 14 d at conventional temperatures (0.0 to 1.1 °C) versus those aged for 7 d at conventional temperatures followed by 7 d at elevated temperatures (3.3 to 4.4 °C) were evaluated before and after 5-d retail display. Subprimals from the elevated temperature aging treatment had stronger (P<0.05) sweet and sour aromas, and the top sirloin had stronger (P<0.05) bloody/ serumy scores. After the 5-day retail display, aroma (sour, bloody/serumy) and discoloration of T-bone/ Porterhouse steaks were most impacted compared to other steaks. Elevated temperature during the last 7 d of aging did not significantly improve consumer panelists' palatability scores, and no differences (P = 0.66) were seen in WBS force between aging treatments. Using higher storage temperatures to age beef does not warrant the risk associated with impacting color and odor characteristics that could negatively influence consumer acceptance of retail beef.

Publications

• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Roseland, J. M., Q. V. Nguyen, L. W. Douglass, K. Y. Patterson, J. C. Howe, J. R. Williams, L. D. Thompson, J. C. Brooks, D. R. Woerner, T. E. Engle, J. W. Savell, K. B. Gehring, A. M. Cifelli, and S. H. McNeill. 2018. Fatty acid, cholesterol, vitamin, and mineral content of cooked beef cuts from a national study. Journal of Food Composition and Analysis. 66:55-64. doi:10.1016/j.jfca.2017.12.003
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Eastwood, L. C., A. N. Arnold, R. K. Miller, K. B. Gehring, and J. W. Savell. 2018. Impact of multiple antimicrobial interventions on ground beef quality. Meat Muscle Biology. 2:46-56. doi:10.22175/mmb2017.07.0039
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Cassens, A. M., A. N. Arnold, R. K. Miller, K. B. Gehring, and J. W. Savell. 2018. Impact of elevated aging temperatures on retail display, tenderness, and consumer acceptability of beef. Meat Sci. 146:1-8. doi:10.1016/j.meatsci.2018.07.024
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Gooch, M. C., A. N. Arnold, D. B. Griffin, D. S. Hale, C. R. Kerth, R. K. Miller, K. B. Gehring, and J. W. Savell. 2018. Palatability of beef top loin steaks sourced from three quality grade groups from Texas and Northern establishments. In: Proc. 71st Annual Reciprocal Meat Conference, Kansas City, Missouri. Abstract 101.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Kirkpatrick, R. R., A. N. Arnold, J. W. Savell, and K. B. Gehring. 2018. Tenderness and consumer acceptance of steaks purchased at farmers markets in Texas. In: Proc. 71st Annual Reciprocal Meat Conference, Kansas City, Missouri. Abstract 105.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Murray, A. R., S. B. Tindel, A. N. Arnold, R. K. Miller, D. B. Griffin, K. B. Gehring, and J. W. Savell. 2018. Is blade tenderization still needed for inherently tender top sirloin steaks? In: Proc. 71st Annual Reciprocal Meat Conference, Kansas City, Missouri. Abstract 70.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Tindel, S. B., A. R. Murray, A. N. Arnold, R. K. Miller, D. B. Griffin, K. B. Gehring, and J. W. Savell. 2018. Impact of extended aging time and freezing on tenderness of beef top sirloin steaks. In: Proc. 71st Annual Reciprocal Meat Conference, Kansas City, Missouri. Abstract 111.

Progress 10/01/16 to 09/30/17

Outputs
Target Audience:dietitians, health professionals, meat industry personnel, and government agencies and inspectors Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?These activities allowed hands-on training of graduate students in data collection, laboratory procedures, written and verbal communication skills, and overall management efforts. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Results were disseminated via peer reviewed journal articles, website, and conference proceedings. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Continue to focus and conduct research on food safety and quality related issues. Research projects are underway in these efforts.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Beef retail steaks from establishments across eleven US cities and beef foodservice steaks from establishments in six US cities were evaluated using Warner-Bratzler shear force (WBSF) and consumer sensory panels. The average postfabrication aging time of steaks at retail establishments was 25.9 d with a range of 6 to 102 d, and those from foodservice establishments averaged 31.5 d with a range of 3 to 91 d. The retail steak with the lowest WBSF value (P < 0.05) was the boneless top loin, compared to the top round which had the numerical highest (P < 0.05) WBSF value. Top loin and ribeye steaks had the lowest (P < 0.05) WBSF values, whereas the top sirloin represented the highest (P < 0.05) WBSF for the foodservice sector. The top blade retail steak received among the highest consumer ratings (P < 0.05), whereas the top round and bottom round steak received among the lowest (P < 0.05) consumer ratings for overall liking, tenderness liking, tenderness level, flavor liking, and juiciness liking. For the foodservice sector, the ribeye and top loin steaks were rated higher (P < 0.05) than top sirloin steaks across all consumer rating categories. Additional improvements in decreasing the variability of tenderness across retail and foodservice steaks, and an additional emphasis in improving the tenderness of top round and bottom round steaks are necessary to increase consumer acceptability.

Publications

• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Harris, M. K., R. R. Riley, A. N. Arnold, R. K. Miller, D. B. Griffin, K. B. Gehring, and J. W. Savell. 2017. Assessment of postmortem aging effects on Texas-style barbecue briskets. Meat Muscle Biol. 1:46-52. doi:10.22175/mmb2017.01.0003
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Martinez, H. A., A. N. Arnold, J. C. Brooks, C. C. Carr, K. B. Gehring, D. B. Griffin, D. S. Hale, G. G. Mafi, D. D. Johnson, C. L. Lorenzen, R. J. Maddock, R. K. Miller, D. L. VanOverbeke, B. E. Wasser, and J. W. Savell. 2017. National Beef Tenderness Survey2015: Palatability and shear force assessments of retail and foodservice beef. Meat Muscle Biol. 1:138-148. doi:10.22175/mmb2017.05.0028
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: McNeill, S. H., A. M. Cifelli, J. M. Roseland, K. E. Belk, D. R. Woerner, K. B. Gehring, J. W. Savell, J. C. Brooks, and L. D. Thompson. 2017. A Research Communication Brief: Gluten analysis in beef samples collected using a rigorous, nationally representative sampling protocol confirms that grain-finished beef is naturally gluten-free. Nutrients 9:936. doi:10.3390/nu9090936
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Belk, A. D., J. E. Sawyer, D. B. Griffin, J. W. Savell, K. B. Gehring, and A. N. Arnold. 2017. Comparison of Salmonella prevalence in the bovine lymph nodes across feeding stages. In: Proc. 2017 Beef Industry Safety Summit, Houston, Texas.
• Type: Theses/Dissertations Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Cassens, A. M. 2017. Impact of elevated aging temperatures on tenderness, shelf life, and consumer acceptability of beef. M.S. thesis, Texas A&M University, College Station.
• Type: Theses/Dissertations Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Frenzel, M. A. 2017. Evaluation of antimicrobial interventions applied during further processing of raw beef products to reduce pathogen contamination. Ph.D. dissertation, Texas A&M University, College Station.
• Type: Theses/Dissertations Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Murray, A. R. 2017. Palatability effects of blade tenderization on beef top sirloin steaks. M.S. thesis, Texas A&M University, College Station.

Progress 10/01/15 to 09/30/16

Outputs
Target Audience:dietitians, health professionals, meat industry personnel, and government agencies and inspectors Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?These activities allowed hands-on training of graduate students in data collection, laboratory procedures, written and verbal communication skills, and overall management efforts. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Results were disseminated via peer reviewed journal articles, website, and conference proceedings. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Continue to focus and conduct research on food safety and quality related issues. Research projects are underway in these efforts.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? This study evaluated quality attributes of beef aged as subprimals versus as steaks. Paired subprimals (n=5pairs of five subprimal types) were selected and assigned to a treatment: (1) aging as vacuum-packaged steaks (portioned 7 d postmortem), or (2) aging as vacuum-packaged subprimals (portioned into steaks after each aging period: ribeye, 28 d; strip loin, 28 d; top sirloin butt, 35 d; tenderloin, 21 d; and short loin, 28 d). To simulate typical U.S. handling and distribution, all steaks were held an additional 14 d before color, shelf life, Warner-Bratzler shear force (WBSF), and consumer sensory analyses were conducted. Aging subprimals tended to result in a lowerWBSF for the strip loin and significantly lowerWBSF for top sirloin butts. Although consumer panelists preferred the strip loin aged as steaks, they had no preference for aging method for the othermuscles. Overall, findings from this study show the potential for portioning subprimals into steaks before aging.

Publications

• Type: Journal Articles Status: Accepted Year Published: 2016 Citation: Eastwood, L.C., Arnold, A.N., Miller, R.K., Gehring, K.B., and Savell, J.W. (2016). Novel approach to aging beef: Vacuum-packaged foodservice steaks versus vacuum-packaged subprimals. Meat Science, 116, 230-235.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Accepted Year Published: 2016 Citation: Wu, G., Cross, H.R., Gehring, K.B., Savell, J.W., Arnold, A.N., and McNeill, S.H. (2016). Composition of free and peptide-bound amino acids in beef chuck, loin, and round cuts12. Journal of Animal Science, 94(6), 2603-2613. doi: 10.2527/jas.2016-0478
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Frenzel, M., M. T. Taylor, J. W. Savell, and K. B. Gehring. 2016. Method of inoculum preparation impacts efficiency of E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella surrogate organism inoculuation onto intact beef during antimicrobial intervention validation.� In: Proc. San Angelo, Texas. Paper 124.

Progress 10/01/14 to 09/30/15

Outputs
Target Audience:dietitians, health professionals, meat industry personnel, and government agencies and inspectors Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?These activities allowed hands-on training of graduate students in data collection, laboratory procedures, written and verbal communication skills, and overall management efforts. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Results were disseminated via peer reviewed journal articles, website, and conference proceedings. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Continue to focus and conduct research on food safety and quality related issues. Research projects are underway in these efforts.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? The efficacy of chemical antimicrobials for controlling Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella during production of marinated nonintact beef products was evaluated using nonpathogenic surrogates. Boneless beef strip loins were inoculated with either approximately 5.8 or 1.9 log CFU/cm(2) (high and low inoculation levels, respectively) of nonpathogenic rifampin-resistant E. coli. Inoculated strip loins were chilled at 2°C for 24 h, vacuum packaged, and aged for 7 to 24 days at 2°C. After aging, strip loins received no treatment (control) or one of five antimicrobial spray treatments: 2.5% L-lactic acid (pH 2.6), 5.0% L-lactic acid (pH 2.4), 1,050 ppm of acidified sodium chlorite (pH 2.8), 205 ppm of peroxyacetic acid (pH 5.2), or tap water (pH 8.6). Mean application temperatures were 53, 26, 20, and 18°C for lactic acid, water, peroxyacetic acid, and acidified sodium chlorite treatments, respectively. Treated and control strip loins were vacuum tumbled in a commercial marinade. Samples were collected throughout the experiment to track the effects of antimicrobial treatment and processing on inoculated surrogates. For high-inoculation strip loins, the 5.0% L-lactic acid treatment was most effective for reducing surrogates on meat surfaces before marination, producing a 2.6-log mean reduction. Peroxyacetic acid treatment resulted in the greatest reduction of surface-located surrogate microorganisms in marinated product. Water treatment resulted in greater internalization of surrogate microorganisms compared with the control, as determined by enumeration of surrogates from cored samples. Producers of nonintact beef products should focus on use of validated antimicrobial sprays that maximize microbial reduction and minimize internalization of surface bacteria into the finished product.

Publications

• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Ulbrich, C. J., L. M. Lucia, T. M. Taylor, J. W. Savell, and K. B. Gehring. 2015. Reduction of Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella surrogates during the production of non-intact beef products by chemical antimicrobial interventions. J. Food Prot. 78;881-887.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Acheson, R. J., D. R. Woerner, K. E. Belk, T. E. Engle, T. R. Brown, J. N. Martin, J. C. Brooks, A. M. Luna, L. D. Thompson, H. L. Grimes, A. N. Arnold, J. W. Savell, K. B. Harris, L. W. Douglass, J. C. Howe, K. Y. Patterson, J. M. Roseland, J. R. Williams, A. Cifelli, and J. L. Leheska. 2015. Nutrient database improvement project: the influence of USDA quality and yield grade on the separable components and proximate composition of raw and cooked retail cuts from the beef loin and round. Meat Science. 110:235-244.

Progress 06/30/14 to 09/30/14

Outputs
Target Audience: dietitians, health professionals, meat industry personnel, and government agencies and inspectors Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? These activities allowed hands-on training of graduate students in data collection, laboratory procedures, written and verbal communication skills, and overall management efforts. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Results were disseminated via peer reviewed journal articles, website, and conference proceedings. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Continue to focus and conduct research on food safety and quality related issues. Research projects are underway in these efforts.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Accomplishment 1. Paired ribeyes (n = 24) and top sirloin butts (n = 24) were dry-aged or wet aged for 35 days before being merchandised as individual muscles: M. spinalis thoracis, M. longissimus thoracis, M. gluteobiceps, and M. gluteus medius. Wet-aged subprimals had greater saleable yields than dry-aged. Dry-aged M. spinalis thoracis and M. gluteobiceps received lower consumer overall like and flavor ratings than did wet-aged; interior muscles — M. longissimus thoracis and M. gluteus medius — did not differ. Trained panelists found higher musty and putrid flavors for dry-aged muscles closer to exterior surface. These flavors may have contributed to lower consumer overall like and flavor ratings for dry-aged M. spinalis thoracis and M. gluteobiceps. Using innovative styles to cut beef allows for greater merchandising options. However, development of undesirable flavor characteristics may bemore pronouncedwhen exteriormuscles — M. spinalis thoracis andM. gluteobiceps — are exposed during dry-aging to extreme conditions and are consumed individually. Accomplishment 2. To determine the appropriateness of established Escherichia coli biotype I surrogates as predictors of non-O157 Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STECs) using various growth characteristics, six non-O157 STEC serotypes identified as O26, O111, O121, O145, O103 and O45 were selected as target pathogens for comparison against the known surrogate bacteria. In order to determine if surrogates can be used for non-E. coli O157 STECs their growth parameters were compared. Growth characteristics for E. coli serotypes were compared to previously described E. coli biotype I surrogates to determine if these surrogates can be used for the non-O157 STECs. Non-O157 Shiga-toxin producing E. coli (STECs) (ATCC # 2192, 2193, 2196, 2215, 2217 and 2219) and E. coli biotype I surrogates (ATCC # BAA-1427, BAA-1428, BAA-1429, BAA-1430 and BAA-1431) were individually cultured in tryptic soy broth at 37° C for 18 h. Rifampicin-resistant surrogates were prepared and compared to the parents strains (16 bacterial strains × 3 replications). Dilutions were made for each culture in 0.1% peptone, and 0.1 ml of the 1:10,000 dilution was transferred to 10 ml fresh TSB to achieve an initial inoculum level of ~3 log CFU/ml. All tubes were incubated at 37° C in a water bath. Enumeration of cultures was performed on tryptic soy agar (TSA) using a spiral plater with incubation at 37° C for 24 h. The GLM of SAS was used to identify differences in growth parameters. Accomplishment 3. Project was conducted to determine the impact of low-dose irradiation on the quality and palatability attributes of steaks and ground beef produced from treated subprimals. Paired beef inside rounds (n = 10), bottom round flats (n = 10), and knuckles (n = 18) were utilized for this study. Paired subprimals were assigned randomly to the either control (non-irradiated) or treatment (irradiated) group. All subprimals were fabricated into three equal parts and randomly assigned to an aging day (0, 14, 21). After each designated aging period, each subprimal piece was fabricated into steaks and trimmings for ground beef patty production. All steaks and patties were packaged individually on foam trays with PVC overwrap. Packaged steaks and patties were randomly assigned to a shelf-life storage time (0, 2, 4 days), and placed under continuous florescent lightning to simulate retail display. Following retail storage, steaks and patties were evaluated for sensory and shelf-life characteristics, including trained sensory panel, raw and cooked color analyses, and lipid oxidation determination using thiobarbituric reactive acid substances (TBARS).

Publications

• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Smith, A.M., K.B. Harris, D.B. Griffin, R.K. Miller, C.R. Kerth, and J.W. Savell. 2014. Retail yields and palatability evaluations of individual muscles from wet-aged and dry-aged beef ribeyes and top sirloin butts that were merchandised innovatively. Meat Sci. 97: 21-26.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: West, S.E., K.B. Harris, A.N. Haneklaus, J.W. Savell, L.D. Thompson, J.C. Brooks, J.K. Pool, A.M. Luna, T.E. Engle, J.S. Schutz, D.E. Woerner, S.L. Archibeque, K.E. Belk, L. Douglass, J.C. Howe, J.M. Leheska, S. McNeill, J.M. Holden, M. Duvall, and K. Patterson. 2014. Nutrient Database Improvement Project: Separable components and proximate composition of retail cuts from the beef chuck. Meat Sci. 97: 558
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Hendricks, K. M., A. N. Arnold, T. M. Taylor, K. B. Gehring, and J. W. Savell. 2014. In-plant validation of two antimicrobial agents applied during production of further processed beef products. In: Proc. 60th Int. Congr. Meat Sci. Technol., Punta Del Este, Uruguay. Session IV, Paper 14.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Eastwood, L. C., A. N. Arnold, K. B. Harris, R. K. Miller, and J. W. Savell. 2014. Impact of multiple antimicrobial interventions on ground beef quality. In: Proc. Recip. Meat Conf., Madison, Wisconsin. Paper 40.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Arnold, J. L., A. N. Arnold, R. K. Miller, K. B. Gehring, and J. W. Savell. 2014. Impact of low-dose irradiation on the quality and palatability attributes of beef subprimals. In: Proc. 60th Int. Congr. Meat Sci. Technol., Punta Del Este, Uruguay. Session III, Paper 45.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Mehall, L. N., L. M. Lucia, J. W. Savell, K. B. Gehring, and G. R. Acuff. 2014. Determining the appropriateness of established Escherichia coli biotype I surrogates as predictors of non-O157 Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STECs) using various growth characteristics. Journal of Food Protection, Volume 77, Supplement A, 2014, Session P3-70, p. 213. IAFP 2014, Indianapolis, Indiana.