Radio Frequency, Convection Cooking Reduces Pathogens in Beef

HAIFA, IsraelA combination of radio frequency (RF) energy and convection cooking results in similar or better reductions of foodborne pathogens in beef compared to convection only, according to a new study published in the International Journal of Food Microbiology.

Researchers at the Israel Institute of Technology investigated safety concerns associated with cooking foods using convection and RF energy techniques. The main goal involved studying the inactivation efficacy of this cooking method against pathogens in ground meat compared to standard convection cooking.

A recent report from the Center for Science and Public Interest (CSPI) indicates ground beef is one of the riskiest meat products in the U.S. food supply, posing a high likelihood of hospitalization from foodborne illness. Ground beef had the highest severity index of 12 meat and poultry categories, and it is also connected to illnesses caused by Clostridium perfringens and Salmonella.

In the Israeli study, researchers used meatballs that were artificially inoculated with Escherichia coli, Salmonella Typhimurium and Listeria monocytogenes, as well as spores of Bacillus cereus and Bacillus thuringiensis. The meatballs were cooked by convection heating for 40 minutes (at 220 degrees Celsius) using energy generated from frequencies in the RF bandwidth (RF cooking, 7.5 minutes) or by combined heating (5.5 minutes), until the center temperature of each sample reached 73 degrees Celsius.

The combined RF and convection cooking resulted in similar or even better effects on selected foodborne pathogens compared to convection only, while the time required for safe cooking was cut down by up to 86%. Results suggest this technology looks promising and safe for ground beef cooking, researchers said.