Study: Cranberry Can Inhibit <I>E. coli</I> Growth in Ground Beef

The addition of cranberry concentrate to ground beef may serve as a supplementary hurdle to control potential E. coli O157:H7 outbreaks associated with ground beef, claims a new U.S. study.

Researchers at the University of Maine examined the potential for cranberry concentrate (CC) to be used as a natural food preservative by examining its antimicrobial effect on the growth of Escherichia coli O157:H7 inoculated in ground beef as well as its organoleptical effect on beef burgers.

The findings of the research, which was published in the journal Food Microbiology, indicated that cranberry concentrate at the tested concentrations did not cause significant negative impact on the flavor, taste or color of burgers and also possessed antimicrobial effects.

The application of cranberry concentrate at low concentrations in ground beef as an additional hurdle to prevent possible E. coli O157:H7 contamination has not been previously reported, claim the authors.

Ground beef is a potentially hazardous food which can harbor pathogenic microorganisms and permit their growth or the production of toxins if temperature and time are not controlled, claim the authors of the study.

Source: FoodProductionDaily.com