Microbiological and quality characteristics of chicken and beef meatballs under two hygienic protocols during refrigerated storage
This descriptive study compared chicken and beef meatballs produced under conventional and modified hygienic protocols during refrigerated storage at 4°C. For each meat type, one raw-material lot was divided between protocols, and each combination was manufactured once. The modified protocol combined enhanced sanitation and personnel hygiene, crushed ice during mixing, and 10-minute cold-water cooling; both protocols used vacuum packaging. Total viable count (TVC) and presumptive foodborne bacterial counts were assessed using laboratory-modified culture procedures without confirmatory testing. TVC increased during storage, remained below the study-selected comparative threshold of 4 log CFU/g through Day 18, and exceeded it on Day 24, with similar values between protocols. Presumptive Staphylococcus aureus counts were numerically lower in modified runs, mostly below the quantification limit; presumptive Bacillus cereus counts were similar between protocols and reached 2.80–2.91 log CFU/g on Day 24. No presumptive Clostridium perfringens or Salmonella colonies were recovered. Cooking loss on Day 0 was 29.12%–36.53%; water activity, color, and texture on Day 18 were similar between protocols. Because manufacturing was not independently replicated and conventional runs preceded modified runs, protocol effects could not be separated from run/order effects.
Phoem AN, Phakul S, Phoem A. Microbiological and quality characteristics of chicken and beef meatballs under two hygienic protocols during refrigerated storage. J Appl Biol Biotech 2026. Article in Press. http://doi.org/10.7324/jabb.2026.320305
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