Abstract
Most of meat spoilage bacteria area Gram negative, which are very sensitive to freezing ; for instance , 90% of E. coli cells are killed or sub-lethally injured by freezing at -3$0^{\circ}C$, and the freeze-injury rate is dependent upon freezing rate. Since the injured bacterial cells are sensitive to selective agents, they fail to multiply in selective media. Injured bacterial cells are, however, capable of spontaneous repair at appropriate environmental and nutritional conditions . Enumeration of injured bacterial cells involves artificial induction of repair at these conditions. Cubic beef samples(3$\times$3$\times$3cm) were frozen at -6$0^{\circ}C$, -4$0^{\circ}C$, or -18$^{\circ}C$. The samples frozen at each temperature were thawed at 4$^{\circ}C$, 2$0^{\circ}C$, or by microwave . After these respective freezing an thawing treatments, the percentage of sub-lethally injured total coliforms out of total surviving ones was measured and compared. The results were as follows: 1. The interaction between freezing and thawing on injury rate was not significant. 2. The injury rates(as means of all three thawing treatments post-freezing) by freezing at -6$0^{\circ}C$, -4$0^{\circ}C$, or -18$^{\circ}C$ were 32.2$^{\circ}C$ and 19.2$^{\circ}C$ respectively . 3. The injury rates(as means of all three freezing treatments)by thawing at 4$^{\circ}C$, 2$0^{\circ}C$, or by microwave were 49.3%, 11.7% and 21.0% respectively. The highest injury rate was caused by freezing at -6$0^{\circ}C$ and subsequent thawing at 4$^{\circ}C$. However since the injury rates by freezing treatment were not significantly different, freezing at -18$^{\circ}C$ and subsequent thawing at 4$^{\circ}C$ can also be recommended , from an economic perspective.