Effect of inoculation of mesophilic lactic acid bacteria on microbial and sensory changes of minced goat meat during storage under vacuum and subsequent aerobic storage

Minced goat meat inoculated with cell suspensions of Lactococcus lactis ssp lactis (Lc. lactis) or Lactobacillus plantarum was stored under vacuum in PETPE film at 4°C and transferred to aerobic storage for 7 days in LDPE bags. During storage under vacuum, the lactic counts of the inoculated samples dropped followed by the development of spontaneous lactic flora. The pH of meat was lower in the treated samples than in the control. Towards the end of vacuum storage cell densities were lower than those in the control only for psychrotrophs in L. plantarum treatment and coliforms and staphylococcal counts in Lc. lactis treatment. There were increases in lactic counts in both treated and control samples during aerobic storage after previous vacuum storage of 18 days in trial 1 and 9 days in trial 2 with reductions in the counts of different bacterial groups and deterioration in colour of the treated samples compared with the control. When goat meat chunks were surface sanitized in alcohol and treated with lactic cell suspension and vacuum stored, there was development of acid and salty taste (acceptable) in the treated samples whereas the control showed a bland taste.