The present study investigated the effect of Sumac Water Extract (SWE) on microbial growth and chemical changes in minced meat during refrigerated storage. Therefore, SWE used at three concentrations (4, 5, and 6%) to determine their effect on the sensory attributes, chemical parameters (pH, total volatile nitrogen, and thiobarbituric acid), and bacteriological status including total bacterial count, Enterobacteriaceae count, total staphylococcus count of minced meat stored at 4°C for 12 days. The study's results suggest that incorporating different concentrations of SWE improved the sensory attributes of the treated minced meat samples compared to the control samples. Furthermore, the use of SWE with different concentrations led to a decrease in pH, TVN, and TBA values in the treated minced meat as compared to the control group. Among the different concentrations tested, the 6% concentration of SWE exhibited the most significant impact on improving the sensory, chemical, and bacterial quality, surpassing the effects observed with the 4 and 5% concentrations. Consequently, the study concluded that the utilization of SWE as a natural antioxidant and antibacterial preservative for refrigerated minced meat could prolong its shelf life for up to 12 days, in contrast to the control group, which became spoiled completely within 6 days.

Fourteen kilograms of minced meat were divided into 4 groups (about 3.5 Kg for each group). All samples were examined to study the effect of the addition of 1% fruit peel extracts (banana, orange, and pomegranate) on the extension of the shelf life of such food article. Reduction of APC after 6 days in samples treated with banana, orange, and pomegranate peel reached 83.9 %, 91.6 %, and 95.4%, respectively and reduction of articles coliform reached 75.8%, 90.3 %, and 93% while S. aureus count reduced by 77.5%, 89%, and 96.5 %, respectively. Fruit peels decreased pH values compared with the control sample during storage at 4˚C for 10 days. pH values of samples treated with banana peel decreased from 5.63 to 5.61 at zero time and from 6.71 to 5.84 on the 6th day and orange peel decreased to 5.58 and to 5.70 while pomegranate to 5.56 and to 5.67 at zero time and at 6th day of storage, respectively. TVB-N values of samples treated with banana decreased from 1.97 to 1.89 at zero time and from 29.58 to 9.83 on the 6th day and orange peel decreased to 1.84 and to 7.90 while pomegranate to 1.81 and to 6.88 at zero time and at 6th day. TBA values of samples treated with banana peel decreased from 1.22 to 0.25 on the 6th day but orange peel decreased to 0.02 and to 0.19 and with pomegranate to 0.02 and to 0.14 at zero time and on the 6th day of storage, respectively. In general, the incorporation of banana, orange, and pomegranate peel powder into minced meat as natural preservatives improved color, odor, appearance, consistency, and overall acceptability and extended their shelf life during storage.

Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) infection has a significant negative influence on human wellness and the global economy. The purpose of this investigation was to identify E. coli and detect its virulence factors in dairy and meat products as well as, human diarrheal samples. A gross of 200 samples of raw milk, karish cheese, fresh meat, and minced meat were obtained randomly from different localities in Aswan Governorate, Egypt. In addition, 50 diarrhea samples were gathered from outpatients who admitted to medical labs and hospitals in Aswan Governorate. The samples were examined for the presence of non-O157 STEC using different biochemical tests and serotyping. The presence of different virulence genes (hly, eae, stx1, stx2) in E. coli isolates was investigated using PCR. The results illustrated that 28.8% of the examined samples were tainted with E. coli with the acquisition of fresh meat (40%), followed by minced meat and raw milk (20% for each), and finally karish cheese (16%) although it possess the highest odd ratio (4.846, 1.897-12.379). Depending on serology, twenty different serotypes were detected in overall samples, from the public health point of view, O26, O103, O126, O145, O86, O114, O121, O113, O104, and O118 were serotyped from both food and human samples. The prevalence of E. coli in humans was 48%, with insignificant correlation with age, sex, and residence. But the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) referring to residence as the riskiest factor to human infection (0.583, 0.424-0.743). Moreover, PCR results demonstrated that the most prevalent gene recognized in E. coli strains was eaeA (90%) followed by stx2 (30%), hlyA (30%), and stx1 (10%). In conclusion, our results highlight the risk for non-O157 STEC infections related to consumption of raw milk, karish cheese, fresh meat, and minced meat.

Minced meat is a widely consumed and popular meat product, known for its high nutritional value. However, it is prone to contamination by a multitude of microorganisms. Therefore, the aim of this work was to improve the keeping quality and safety of chilled minced meat by using whey protein isolate (WPI) at different concentrations 1, 3, and 5% to assess their effect on the sensory attributes, chemical parameters (pH, total volatile nitrogen, thiobarbituric acid and amino acid content), and bacteriological status including total bacterial count, enterobacteriaceae count, coliform count, and staphylococcal count in minced meat stored at 4°C for 12 days, in addition, detection of some staphylococcal enterotoxins. The results showed that adding different concentrations of WPI improved the treated minced meat samples sensory qualities when compared to the control samples. WPI also improved the chilled minced meat's chemical properties by lowering pH, total volatile nitrogen, and thiobarbituric acid values while raising the amount of essential amino acids when compared to the control group. Furthermore, WPI significantly reduced the bacterial counts. Among the different concentrations tested, 5% of WPI exhibited the most significant improvement in terms of sensory, chemical, and bacterial quality, surpassing the effects observed with 1% and 3% concentrations. Incidence of Staph. aureus in the control group and the minced meat treated with 1% and 3% WPI was 60%, 20%, and 20% respectively. However, no Staph. aureus was isolated from the treated samples with 5% WPI.  In control samples, enterotoxins A, A+C, and A+D were detected in 20% of each of the examined samples, respectively; enterotoxin D was detected in 20% of sample treated with 3% WPI; enterotoxin A+C was detected in 20% of sample treated with 1% WPI. The study concluded that utilizing WPI as a natural antioxidant and antibacterial preservative for refrigerated minced meat can extend its shelf life up to 12 days, in contrast to the control group, which spoiled completely within 6 days of chilled storage.

Metal nanoparticles have attracted a lot of attention recently in several nanotechnology fields. Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) have attracted the most interest among metal nanoparticles due to their possible antibacterial impact, particularly in regulating the safety of meat and meat products. This study looked at how the quality and shelf life of minced beef were affected by antibacterial activity of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) against S. aureus and E. coli. So, minced meat samples were inoculated with S. aureus and E. coli and then exposed to various doses of ZnO bulk and nanoparticles, including 4 mM, 6 mM, and 8 mM then kept at 4 °C for 12 days, then E. coli and S. aureus growth and count were examined to assess ZnONPs action on them and on minced meat quality and shelf life. The findings showed that E. coli and S. aureus growth and count in minced beef were significantly reduced by ZnO NPs at 8 mM concentration. The findings suggest that ZnO NPs could be utilized as antibacterial agents and for shelf-life extension in food preservation.