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The primary objectives of the Meat Safety and Quality Research Unit are to reduce the risk of foodborne illness associated with the consumption of red meat, to respond to the research needs of the USDA action and regulatory agencies, to increase efficiency of lean meat production, and to improve eating quality of meat. Pre- and post-harvest food safety research addresses the microbial status of live animals and meat from farm to table using both molecular and standard microbiological techniques. Unique methods are developed and validated as necessary for sampling, isolating and identifying pathogenic and spoilage bacteria. Sources of pathogens and approaches for their control at various stages of livestock and meat production are determined in order to reduce the risk of pathogen contamination of meat, other food products, water, and the environment by meat animals. Approaches include determining mechanisms of pathogen infection, colonization, and shedding by meat animals, development and validation of specific and sensitive detection methodologies, and interventions for control of pathogens in meat products, meat animals and the production environment. Meat quality research is directed toward identification of areas of the genome that regulate carcass composition and meat quality, the development of methodologies to classify carcasses based on meat quality traits and lean meat yield, the effect of breed on carcass composition and meat quality, and the development of strategies to optimize meat quality, especially tenderness.
Current Projects:
Title: Control of Pathogenic and Spoilage Bacteria on Red Meat
Objectives:
Develop phylogenetic and phenotypic markers for E. coliO157:H7, non-O157 Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC)/enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC), and Salmonellaspp. 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: Prevention and Control of Shiga-toxigenic Escherichia coli in Livestock
Objectives:
Identify correlates of bovine colonization with STEC O157.
Identify and evaluate potential sites for anti-STEC interventions to prevent or reduce the prevalence of natural STEC intestinal infections or hide surface contamination in livestock.
Title: Prevention of Zoonotic Pathogen Transmission from Animal Manure to Human Food
Objectives:
Identify exploitable biological and environmental factors that affect pathogen occurrence, survival, or transmission in cattle and swine production environments.
Develop and evaluate environmentally safe intervention strategies that reduce or eliminate the occurrence, persistence, or transmission of pathogens in cattle, swine, and their manure.
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.
Staff:
Meat Quality Publications
| Meat Safety Publications
Downloadable Information (pdfs)
Meat Safety
Protocols
USMARC Pathogen enumeration for poultry
USMARC Pathogen enumeration in compost and manure
USMARC Pathogen enumeration for feces hides carcass ground beef
Meat Quality
Protocols
Shear Force Methodologies(Warner-Bratzler, Slice, Belt grill cooking)
Slice Shear Force Protocol For Large Volume
Slice Shear Force Protocol For Small Volume
Warner-Bratzler Shear Force Protocol
SSF Movierequires Apple Quicktime
MFI
Western Blot
Calpain/Calpastatin
Standard ColumnGradient Elution for Calpain/Calpastatin
Two-step Elutionfor Calpain/Calpastatin
Heated Calpastatin
Heated/Column Calpastatin
Sarcomere Length
Collagenfrom Hydroxyproline (HPLC Method)
Carcass Yield
Wholesale Rib Dissection
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