Microbiological and Physicochemical Quality of Irradiated Ground Beef as Affected by Added Garlic or Onion

The effects of garlic and onion on the microbiological and physicochemical properties of irradiated ground beef patties were evaluated. Ground beef was mixed with 0.5%(w/w) minced garlic or 2.5%(w/w) minced onion, vacuum-packed in oxygen-impermeable nylon/PE bags and then electron beam-irradiated at 2.5 kGy. All samples were kept at 4C for 8 d. Irradiation resulted in a 2-log CFU/g reduction in both aerobic and coliform bacteria. The microbial counts gradually increased during storage, but those in beef that contained garlic or onion were 1-log CFU/g lower than those of the control samples after 8 d of storage. The pH value decreased during storage in all meat samples, but this decrease was greater in non-irradiated beef than in irradiated beef. The lipid oxidation, volatile basic nitrogen content and Hunter color values of raw patties were generally not affected by irradiation or the addition of garlic and onion. Sensory evaluation of cooked patties showed that the off-odor was less pronounced in samples that contained added garlic or onion than in control samples, and that the overall acceptability of beef formulated with garlic was the highest. Overall, the results of this study indicate that the addition of garlic or onion in combination with irradiation treatment enhanced the microbial quality and improved the sensory quality of irradiated ground beef.