Microbiological status of minced pork meat in vacuum and modified atmosphere packaging

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of different packaging conditions (vacuum and modified atmosphere) on the microbiological status (total viable count, lactic acid bacteria and Enterobacteriaceae), total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N) and pH in minced pork meat. Pork mince was packaged in vacuum, modified atmosphere with 20% O2, 50% CO2 and 30% N2 (MAP 1) or modified atmosphere with 20% O2, 30% CO2 and 50% N2 (MAP 2), refrigerated at 3±1°C and examined on the days 0, 3, 6, 9 and 12 of storage. The average total viable counts and total Enterobacteriaceae counts in vacuum packaged mince were statistically significantly higher (p lt 0.01; p lt 0.05) than in modified atmosphere packaged mince with both combinations of gases, on different days of storage. The largest decrease of total viable count and Enterobacteriaceae count was noted in modified atmosphere packaged mince with the higher concentration (50%) of CO2.