Validation of the quality and microbiological risk of meat cooked with the vacuum-pack cooking method (sous-vide)

Abstract

In order to ascer tain the quality and microbiological risk of meat cooked with the vacuum-pack cooking method (sous-vide), we simulated the thermal denaturation of meat protein and the bacterial survival changes (Escherichia coli O157:H7) and performed unsteady-state 3D heat transfer analysis using the finite element method during sous-vide cooking. To simulate the denaturation processes, we used the kinetics parameters for the thermal denaturation of intact beef using the differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) dynamic method. The results of the simulation showed the characteristics of the sous-vide cooking of roast beef to be as follows. The denaturation of myosin was completed throughout the meat sample. Actin was hardly denatured inside the meat, although denaturation was completed at the surface region. This characteristic denaturation profile formed in the cooked meat has produced a high-quality meat product and various benefits using the sous-vide method. In contrast, the prediction of the bacterial survival changes revealed that there was little sterilizing effect at the meat core because of the low temperature heat treatment of the sous-vide cooking. That is, it is important that fresh food material be used, and maintaining the optimal cooking temperature and strict sanitary control in the sous-vide cooking was highly recommended.