Immersion in Antimicrobial Solutions Reduces \u3ci\u3eSalmonella enterica\u3c/i\u3e and Shiga Toxin–Producing Escherichia coli on Beef Cheek Meat

The objective of this study was to determine the effect of immersing beef cheek meat in antimicrobial solutions on the reduction of O157:H7 Shiga toxin–producing Escherichia coli (STEC), non-O157:H7 STEC, and Salmonella enterica. Beef cheek meat was inoculated with O157:H7 STEC, non-O157:H7 STEC, and S. enterica on both the adipose and muscle surfaces. The inoculated cheek meat was then immersed in one of seven antimicrobial solutions for 1, 2.5, or 5 min: (i) 1% Aftec 3000 (AFTEC), (ii) 2.5% Beefxide (BX), (iii) 300 ppm of hypobromous acid (HOBR), (iv) 2.5% lactic acid (LA2.5), (v) 5% lactic acid (LA5), (vi) 0.5% levulinic acid and 0.05% sodium dodecyl sulfate (LEV-SDS), or (vii) 220 ppm of peroxyacetic acid (POA). Inoculated cheek meat was also immersed in 80˚C tap water (HW) for 10 s. In general, increasing immersion duration in antimicrobial solutions did not significantly (P \u3e 0.05) increase effectiveness. Immersion in HW for 10 s was the most effective intervention, reducing STEC and S. enterica by 2.2 to 2.3 log CFU/cm2 on the adipose surface and by 1.7 to 1.8 log CFU/cm2 on the muscle surface. Immersion for 1 min in AFTEC, BX, LA2.5, LA5, or POA was also effective as an intervention, reducing STEC and S. enterica by 0.8 to 2.0 log CFU/cm2 on the adipose surface and by 0.6 to 1.4 log CFU/cm2 on the muscle surface. Immersion for 1 min in HOBR or LEV-SDS was not an effective intervention because STEC and S. enterica reductions ranged from 0.1 to 0.4 log CFU/cm2, which were not significantly different (P \u3e 0.05) from the reductions obtained when cheek meat was immersed in room temperature tap water. We conclude that immersion of cheek meat in HW for 10 s and immersion for 1 min in AFTEC, BX, LA2.5, LA5, or POA effectively reduced levels of STEC and S. enterica