Antimicrobial effect of buffered sodium citrate (BSC) on foodborne pathogens in liquid media and ground beef

Abstract

The antimicrobial effects of a commercially available, buffered sodium citrate (BSC) were evaluated for the reduction of total aerobic bacteria count, Salmonella Typhimurium, Escherichia coli O157:H7, Listeria monocytogenes and Staphylococcus aureus in a liquid medium and ground beef. BSC at 0, 1, 2 and 4.8% (wt/vol) or 0, 3, and 4.8% (wt/wt) was mixed into inoculated brain heart infusion (BHI) broth and ground beef (80% lean), respectively. BSC at concentrations of 1 and 2% did not inhibit growth of the pathogens tested in BHI broth. E. coli O157:H7 in BHI broth with 4.8% BSC was significantly reduced (p＜0.05) by 3～4 log CFU/mL compared with the control for up to 4 days. At 4.8%, BSC treatment of ground beef most significantly reduced (p＜0.05) total aerobic count and E. coli O157:H7 by 2.1 and 2.0 log CFU/g, respectively. This study indicates that the legally allowable level of 1.3% (wt/wt) BSC is not effective for reducing the pathogens tested in ground beef stored at 7℃.