Spoilage-related bacteria of pork and beef minced meat under vacuum and modified atmosphere

Changes of spoilage-related microbiota of pork and beef minced meat during 12 days at 3°C under vacuum (VP) and modified atmosphere (MAP) with initial headspace containing 20%O2/50%CO2/30%N2-MAP1 and 20%O2/30%CO2/50%N2-MAP2 were studied. Samples were analysed for total viable count (TVC), Enterobacteriaceae count and lactic acid bacteria (LAB) count. TVC and LAB count increased during storage, with significantly (P<0.01) higher TVC in VP (except 9th and 6th day for TVC and LAB count, respectively), while Enterobacteriaceae count decreased with significantly lower value (P<0.01 and P<0.05) in MAP1, compared to VP. MAP samples were more acceptable in terms of color and odor than VP.