Evaluation of Antimicrobial Interventions against O157:H7 on the Surface of Raw Beef to Reduce Bacterial Translocation during Blade Tenderization.

The US Department of Agriculture, Food Safety Inspection Service (USDA-FSIS) considers mechanically-tenderized beef as "non-intact" and a food safety concern because of the potential for translocation of surface O157:H7 into the interior of the meat that may be cooked "rare or medium-rare" and consumed. We evaluated 14 potential spray interventions on O157:H7-inoculated lean beef wafers (~10⁶ CFU/cm², = 896) passing through a spray system (18 s dwell time, ~40 pounds per square inch, PSI) integrated into the front end of a Ross TC-700MC tenderizer. Inoculated and processed beef wafers were stomached with D/E neutralizing broth and plated immediately, or were held in refrigerated storage for 1-, 7-, or 14-days prior to microbial enumeration.