| Sumario: | The safety of ground beef remains a critical concern in the food industry, driving the development of innovative packaging technologies designed to extend shelf life while preserving product quality and minimizing microbial growth. This study evaluated the effect of modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) on the microbial loads of indicators in ground beef. The packaging technologies tested include three MAP treatments, MAP1: 0.4% nitric oxide (NO) with 99.6% nitrogen (N2), MAP2: 0.4% carbon monoxide (CO) with 30% carbon dioxide (CO2) and 69.6% N2, and a high oxygen MAP3: (80% O2, 20% CO2). Traditional packaging methods such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC) overwrap and vacuum roll stock were used as controls. Aerobic Counts (AC), Enterobacteriaceae (EB), Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB), and Aerobic Psychrotrophs (P-AC) were monitored over a four-day storage period. The results revealed that MAP did not demonstrate a significant advantage over PVC or Roll Stock Vacuum packaging in inhibiting the growth of aerobic, enterobacteriaceae, psychrotrophic, and lactic acid bacteria throughout the storage period. Interactions between time and package type were observed in bacterial growth patterns, with all package types starting with low microbial counts. However, no significant differences in bacterial growth were found over the four-day storage time. The findings highlight the limited impact of MAP on extending the microbial shelf-life of ground beef compared to conventional packaging methods during short-term storage.
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