Thermal Destruction of Microorganisms in Meat by Microwave and Conventional Cooking

Abstract

When heating ground beef to internal temperatures of 34, 61, and 75 C, high temperature (232 ± 6 C) oven cooking was more effective for bacterial destruction than low temperature (149 ± 6 C) oven cooking. Low temperature oven cooking was more effective than microwave cooking. These differences in microbial destruction rates became significant (P<05) when the meat reached the 75-C internal temperature level.