Microbiology of Meat and Meat Products.

Contamination
and Spoilage.

In many developing countries, meat is widely consumed a source of protein; it

is either eaten cooked or processed into other forms. Chemically meat is
composed of water, protein, lipid, carbohydrate and many other minor
components such as vitamins, enzymes, pigments and flavour compounds. All
these constituents give meat its particular structure, texture, flavour, colour and
nutritive value as well as make it a suitable substrate to support microbial
growth.
Meat is a highly perishable food and has a short shelf-life unless preservation
methods are used. Shelf life and maintenance of the meat quality are influenced
by a number of factors including storage environment, the type and number of
microbial contamination and product composition.
Spoilage of meat includes color defects, changes in texture and appearance,
development of off flavours, off odors, and change in taste which make it
undesirable for consumption.

Contamination:
 Exterior of the animal harbors large numbers a many kinds of micro
organisms from soil, water, feed and manure as well as its natural surface
flora and the intestinal contents.
 Contamination of inner tissues comes from the external sources during
bleeding, handling, skinning, cutting and processing.
 As the intestinal tract contains large numer of m/o including potential
pathogens, great care must be taken to ensure the internal exposed tissue
is not contaminated with intestinal content either as a result of puncture or
leakage during removal.
 Knives, clothes, air and hands as intermediate sources of contaminants.
 During handling of meat thereafter, contamination can come from carts,
boxes or other containers, other contaminated meat, equipments like
grinders, slicers which may add undesirable organisms in appreciable
amount.
 Chilling storage adds psychrotrophic bacteria.

Micro organisms isolated from fresh and refrigerated meat are

Bacteria: Acinetobacter, Moraxella, Pseudomonas, Aeromonas, Alcaligenes
and Micrococcus
Molds: Cladosporium, Geotrichum, Sporotrichum, Mucor
Yeasts: Candida, Torulopsis.

Spoilage of meat and meat products:

Raw meat may be spoiled by

1. Its own enzymes- Autolytic changes caused by its own enzymes are
Proteolytic action on muscle and hydrolysis of fats resulting in softening and
greenish discoloration of the meat. These autolysis changes are prerequisite for
microbial decomposition i.e help microorganisms to start their growth.

2. Fat may be oxidized chemically- become rancid on excessive exposure to

air.

3. By microbial action- Microbial spoilage of meats can be classified on the

basis of whether they occur under aerobic or anaerobic conditions and
whether they are caused by bacteria, yeasts or molds.

 Spoilage caused by Bacteria under aerobic conditions:

1. Surface slime: Growth of various spoilage organisms results in the sliminess

of the surface of the meat. Caused by the species of Pseudomonas,
Acinetobacter, Leuconostoc, Bacillus and Micrococcus.
Some sps of Lactobacillus can produce slime.
At chilling temperatures, high moisture will favour the Pseudomonas –
Alcaligenes group;
whereas less moisture favours Micrococci and yeasts and
Still less moisture favors molds growth.

2. Changes in color of meat pigments:

Red colour of meat may be changed to green, brown or gray as a result of the
production of oxidising compounds Ex: Peroxides, Hydrogen sulfides,
Species of Lactobacillus and Leuconostoc cause green coloration of sausage.
3. Changes in Fats:
Oxidation of unsaturated fats in meats (rancidity) occurs chemically in the
presence of oxygen from the storage environment with the production of
aldehydes, ketones, short chain fatty acids etc. Which give off odors.
e.g. Lipolytic bacteria Pseudomonas and Achromobacter

4. Various surface colors due to pigmented bacteria:

Red spot caused by Serratia sp.
Blue colour caused by Pseudomonas sp.
Yellow pigments produced by the sps of Micrococcus

5. Off odors and off tastes:

“Taints” or undesirable odors and tastes that appear in meat as a result of the
growth of bacteria on the surface often are evident before other signs of
spoilage.
“Souring” is the term applied to almost any defect that gives a sour odor that
may be due to volatile acids. e.g: Formic, Acetic, butyric and propionic acid
produced during growth of microorganisms.

 Yeasts growth under aerobic conditions on the meats: Yeasts

may grow under aerobic conditions on the meats and causes sliminess,
lipolysis, off odors and tastes, discolorations.

 Spoilage caused by molds under aerobic conditions:

1. Stickiness: Molds growth makes the surface of the meat sticky to the touch.
2. Whiskers: When meat is stored at temperatures, a limited amount of
mycelial growth may take place without sporulation. White fuzzy growth can be
caused by a number of molds including Mucor, Rhizopus and others.
3. Black spot: Usually caused by Cladosporium sp.
4. White spot: Caused by Sporotrichum
5. Green patches: Caused by Penicillium sp.
6. Decomposition of Fats: Many molds produce lipases and hence cause
hydrolysis of fats.
7. Off odour and off tastes: Molds give a musty flavour to meat in the vicinity
of their growth.
  Spoilage under Anaerobic conditions:
Facultative and anaerobic bacteria are able to grow with in the meat under
anaerobic conditions and cause spoilage.
1. Souring: Souring implies a sour odor and taste. Caused by production of
formic, acetic, butyric, propionic and higher fatty acids or other organic acids .
Clostridium sps and the coliform bacteria act on carbohydrates, resulting in
the production of acids and gas.
2. Putrefaction:
True putrefaction is the anaerobic decomposition of protein with the production
of foul smelling compounds such as H2S, Mercaptans, Indole, Ammonia and
Amines.
Putrefaction usually caused by sps of Clostridum. Gas formation accompanies
putrefaction by Clostridia, and the gases are H2 and CO2.

3. Taint: Taint is a word applied to off-taste or off odor.

Spoilage of Different kinds of meats:

Hamburger:
Hamburger held at room temperatures usually putrefies, but at temperatures
near freezing it acquires a stale, sour odour. Sourness at low temperature caused
by Pseudomonas, Acinetobacter and Moraxella with help from lactic acid
bacteria.
Hamburger held at higher temperatures contain the micro organisms like
Bacillus,Clostridium, Escherichia coli, Enterobacter, Proteus, Pseudomonas,
Alcaligenes, Lactobacillus.
Sausage:
Ex: Micrococcus and yeasts can form slimy layer at higher moisture level.
With less moisture molds produce fuzziness and discoloration.
CO2 produced by lactic acid bacteria, may swell packages when they are
packaged in gastight flexible film.