The purpose of the experiment reported here was to determine the effectiveness of heat treatments in water and in steam at 80 °C to inactivate the bacterium Clostridium botulinum type E in samples of beef Semitendinosus muscle. The product’s tenderness was evaluated based on a Warner-Bratzler Shear Force (WBSF) analysis and its attributes of juiciness, subjective tenderness, flavor and connective tissue were evaluated sensorially. The treatment at 80 °C effectively killed the bacterium, but no significant difference was found in the attribute of objective tenderness (shear force) evaluated after the two treatments. The sensorial analysis indicated a positive correlation between the attributes of juiciness and tenderness, while the connective tissue showed a negative correlation to tenderness. Flavor proved uncorrelated with tenderness, juiciness and connective tissue.
Clostridium botulinum type E; thermobacteriology; beef; tenderness; quality; cooking
