Evaluation of the preservative effects of two spice powders and drying temperature on some quality attributes of beef

Due to high perishability of fresh meat, drying is often employed to reduce the biochemical and microbial degradations that occur after animal slaughter. Spice powder or its derivatives are also added to food particles to enhance flavour and reduce microbial spoilage. This study was conducted at the Department of Food Science and Technology, Federal University of Agriculture Abeokuta (FUNAAB), Ogun State, Nigeria, to investigate the effect of spice type (ST), spice powder suspension concentration (SPC) and drying temperature (DT) on the chemical and microbial property of dried beef. About 100 g of fresh beef cut (1×5×10 cm) was soaked in alligator pepper (AP) and ginger (GE) powder suspension at 50 and 70% (w/w) for 30 min while that soaked in distilled water served as control. Total viable microbial count (TVC), Staphylococci spp (SS), Escherichia coli (EC), Streptococcus aureus (SA) and Salmonella spp (SaS) counts were determined in the fresh meat soaked for 0-24 h. The soaked beef cuts were then dried at 65, 75 and 85oC in a locally-fabricated convective dryer for 18 h. Proximate composition (protein, moisture, ash, crude fibre, fat and carbohydrate) of the processed dried meat were determined using standard methods. Data obtained were subjected to analysis of variance and LSD was used to separate significant means. The TVC, SS, EC and SA counts in the soaked meat samples were 4.0-4.6, 0.0-4.3, 0.0-4.39, and 0.0-4.3 cfu/g, respectively. There was significant reduction in the microbial load of the spiced dried meat samples with values ranging from 2.0-2.30 cfu/g for TVC and 0.01-2.0 cfu/g for Staphylococcus. The microbial count of spiced meat reduced significantly (p<0.05) with soaking period whereas it increased in the control sample. However, Salmonella spp was not detected in both the fresh and dried meat samples. The crude protein, fat and crude fibre contents of the dried spiced meat was 78.65-88.89%, 2.85-11.51% and 0.36-0.94%, respectively. The untreated meat had lower protein and crude fibre than any of the spiced meat. The main effect of ST, SPC and DT were significant (p<0.05) on the proximate composition. The PV, FFA and pH values of the dried meat were 1.71-4.12 meq/kg, 1.26-3.27%, and 6.06-6.47, respectively. Dried meat at 75 and 85oC had no viable microbial count. It can be concluded that using 70% GE and drying at 75oC showed greater potential for meat preservation.