Inhibition of E. coli and bio-preservation of ground beef by Lactobacillus, black pepper extract and EDTA

The objectives of present study were to evaluate the potential of Lactobacillus reuteri or Lactobacillus casei combined with black pepper extract (BPE) and ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA) for controlling the growth of E. coli O157:H7 and improving the chemical, microbiological and sensory quality of ground beef stored at 10 ? for 12 days. The in vitro results indicated that the combination of L. casei with BPE and EDTA had the most potent antibacterial effect against E. coli and resulted in 2.7 log CFU/ml reduction. In ground beef, the combination of L. reuteri or L. casei with BPE and EDTA decreased E. coli and aerobic mesophilic bacteria counts up to 1 and 1.6 log CFU/g, respectively. Meanwhile, this combination significantly reduced the lipid oxidation rate (up to 60%) and improved odor and overall acceptability scores of ground beef. It was concluded that the combination of L. casei with BPE and EDTA could be used in ground beef to control microbial proliferation, retard lipid oxidation, and improve sensory quality.

Automated summary

This study evaluated the potential of Lactobacillus reuteri or Lactobacillus casei combined with black pepper extract and ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid for controlling the growth of E. coli O157:H7 and improving the quality of ground beef. The results showed that the combination of L. casei with black pepper extract and EDTA had the strongest antibacterial effect and significantly reduced bacterial counts and lipid oxidation in ground beef, while improving sensory quality.