Escherichia coli O157:H7 Risk Assessment for the Production and Cooking of Blade Tenderized Steaks: Determination of Lethality Requirements for Blade Tenderized Steaks

<p>Many of today’s beef steak items have gone through a blade tenderizing process, which uses multiple needles to physically disrupt the muscle system and create a more uniformly tender product. However, this results in a non-intact muscle system that could potentially transfer surface microbial contamination to the interior of the product. The objectives of this study were to determine the effectiveness of cooking procedures for destroying E. coli O157:H7 in both tenderized and non-tenderized muscle and to establish safe heating protocols for these types of products.</p>