Influence of various preservatives on the quality of minced beef under modified atmosphere at chilled storage

Abstract The effect of preservatives on microbial quality, pH, drip-loss, roasting-loss, colour, and sensorial properties of modified atmosphere packaged (70% O 2 and 30% CO 2 ) minced beef ( M. semimembranosus ) stored at (2 ± 0.5 °C) for 12 days was investigated. Beef cubes (approx. 20 × 20 × 20 mm size) were immersed in solutions of 2% and 5% lactic acid, 2% lactic acid combined with 0.5% sodium ascorbate, 20% potassium lactate and 20% potassium sorbate before mincing. Addition of lactic acid was associated with pH drop, which increased drip-loss and roasting-loss. Application of all additives inhibited aerobic micro-organisms (10 3 –10 4  CFU g −1 on day 12) compared to reference sample (9 × 10 5  CFU g −1 on day 12). Lactic acid discoloured samples, while sodium ascorbate seemed to improve colour stability. Despite good visual colour characteristics, potassium sorbate treated samples were organoleptically unacceptable with massive off-flavour.