Organaleptic Characteristics, Shelf Life and Microbial Quality of Corned Carabeef

In this study, the organaleptic characteristics, shelf life and microbial quality of corned carabeef, an alternative and cheaper product compared to corned beef were investigated. The flavour, texture and appearance of developed corned carabeef were compared to three commercial corned beef brands through blind testing. The microbial content was determined at, the Department of science and Technology Laboratory. The shelf life of corned carabeef was three days from preparation time when kept at normal room temperature. Laboratory test showed that the developed corned carabeef was found to contain 3.0 Most Probable Number/gram(MPN/g) in terms of E-coli, and 500 Colony Forming Unit per gram(CFU/g) for aerobic plate count. Likewise salmonella was found to be absent at 25g sample, yeast and moulds count was 500CFU/g and it does not contain S. aureus this implies that the developed corned carabeef is satisfactory and acceptable for human consumption. Organoleptic testing revealed that corned carabeef had the best flavour, texture and appearance compared to the three brands of corned beef. It cost PhP230.30 to produce 1.25kg corned carabeef from 1kg of raw meat product. The results of the study suggest that corned carabeef can be used as a cheaper alternative to commercial corned beef.