Cooking Inactivation of Shiga Toxin Producing Escherichia coli (STEC) in Non-intact Beefs--a mini-Review

Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Non-O157 shiga toxin producing E. coli (STEC) serogroups O26, O45, O103, O111, O121, or O145 are both considered adulterated in non-intact beefs. Forty to fifty-eight percent of U.S. consumers prefer to order beef steaks of medium rare to rare status. From 2000 to 2007, undercooked non-intact beef products have been involved in several outbreaks in the United States due to contamination with E. coli O157:H7.Traditional cooking practices of non-intact beef steaks contaminated with Non-O157 STEC may result in the same food safety risks as shown in E. coli O157:H7 through consumption of undercooked contaminated products. This mini-review focuses on the research advances in recent 10 years to evaluate the effectiveness of cooking inactivation of E. coli O157:H7 and Non-O157 STEC contaminated in ground beef, mechanical tenderized beef, and moisture enhanced non-intact beef.