Dried plum may inhibit microbial growth in meat.

Here's a new way to protect hamburger meat from bacterial contamination: prunes. As a bonus, they keep the burgers juicy. It's not yet time for consumers to look for ways to add prunes into their ground beef. But this approach may be applicable at the product development and processing level, where you would use dried plum extract.

The addition of dried plum mixtures can control foodborne pathogens in uncooked meat products. Tests show that using the extract significantly reduces levels of S. typhimurium, Y. enterocolitica, S. aureus, L. monocytogenes and E. coli O157:H7 in uncooked ground beef and uncooked pork sausage. Researchers at Kansas State University had inoculated these products with the pathogens for testing. In addition, the extract extends ground beef's shelf life for more than a week at 7 C storage.

Prunes' benefits for meat don't stop with the suppression of pathogens. Earlier research showed that the extracts keep ground beef moist even after it is reheated. Reheated ground beef tends to be dry and tough. Dried plums contain sorbitol, which retains moisture. If you heat and reheat the hamburger with the dried plum extract, it will still be moist and juicy. That's important for school lunch and other foodservice programs in which hamburgers are cooked in large batches and then sent to schools or other institutions where they are reheated.

The investigators have met with U.S. Army officials to discuss the practical application of dried plum extract in rations that must be reheated. Other benefits accompany this approach. There is no distinctive taste from the extract, so the meat's flavor isn't altered. Dried plum's use probably would not require special labeling on products because it is a natural compound.

Further information. Daniel Fung, Department of Animal Sciences and Industry, Kansas State University, 225 Call Hall, Manhattan, KS 66506; phone: [phone]; fax: [phone]; email: [e-mail].