Title: Control of Pathogenic and Spoilage Bacteria on Red Meat

Objectives:

Develop phylogenetic and phenotypic markers for E. coli O157:H7, non-O157 Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC)/enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC), and Salmonella spp. based on genomic and proteomic strain comparisons, expression analysis, and multi-drug resistance profiles for use in molecular strain typing, intervention method development, and design of multiple pathogen detection schemes

Determine prevalence of unrecognized foodborne pathogens such as STEC on fresh imported beef to be used for ground beef and establish necessary profiling to insure imported beef products meet the same levels of safety as domestic products.

Identify sources of spoilage bacteria and pathogen contamination during beef transport/processing/slaughter (i.e., transport vehicles, lairage pens, air, hides, and feces) and develop novel antimicrobial intervention strategies.

Determine the microbiological safety of lamb processed in the United States and determine the efficacy of currently used intervention technologies during various stages of lamb processing.

Title: Strategies to optimize carcass yield and meat quality of red meat animals

Objectives:

Develop and evaluate  non-invasive instrumentation to predict value determining characteristics of meat.

Develop strategies to optimize meat quality and composition traits of meat.