Effects of X-ray Irradiation on Chilled Pork Quality and Shelf Life
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Abstract:
To study the effects of X-ray irradiation on chilled pork quality, irradiation from 0.1 to 1.0 kGy was used to treat cultured pathogens and chilled pork to evaluate changes in microorganism growth, physical and chemical indicators, and sensory characteristics of chilled pork under different irradiation doses and storage times. The number of microbial colonies decreased as the irradiation dose increased. The D10 values of cultured Escherichia coli and Listeria monocytogenes were 0.177 kGy and 0.180 kGy, respectively. After treatment by X-ray irradiation at 0.6 kGy, the number of cultured microbial colonies was significantly reduced by more than 3.0 log value (p<0.05), and the number of inoculated microbial colonies decreased significantly by more than 2.0 log value (p<0.05). Furthermore, when chilled pork was treated with 1.0-kGy X-ray irradiation, the number of inherent microbial colonies declined markedly by more than 2.0 log value (p<0.05) while the shelf life was extended from 4 days to 9 days. There was no significant difference in sensory scores (p>0.05) in the early storage period, but in the later period, the sensory score of the irradiated chilled pork slowly decreased. The rates of TVB-N and pH-value increase dropped significantly during the storage period compared with those of the control (p<0.05). The TBA value of the chilled pork increased in all samples after irradiation, but the rate of TBA-value increase in the control group during storage was greater than that in the irradiated group. In summary, 1.0-kGy X-ray irradiation treatment of chilled pork meets national food safety standards and extends shelf life by 4~5 days. This finding provides a scientific basis for irradiation-based preservation of chilled pork.
