EFFECTS OF COMBINED OHMIC-INFRARED COOKING TREATMENT ON MICROBIOLOGICAL INACTIVATION OF MEATBALLS

The effectiveness of combined ohmic-infrared cooking system on the microbiological quality of meatballs was studied. In the first step, samples were precooked in an ohmic heater at 15.26 V/cm. In the second step, ohmically precooked samples were processed in the infrared heater for the final cooking purpose at different combinations of heat fluxes (3.7, 5.7, 8.5 kW/m(2)), application distances (10.5, 13.5, 16.5 cm) and application times (4, 8, 12 min). The effects of infrared process conditions on total mesophilic aerobic bacteria (TMAB) counts of meatball samples were investigated. TMAB counts of meatball samples were reduced, ranging between 1.96 and 4.50 logarithmic units, depending on infrared process conditions used. Mold and yeast, Staphylococcus aureus, Clostridium perfringens, Salmonella spp., Listeria monocytogenes and Escherichia coli O157:H7 were not detected in the treated meatball samples. The effects of different infrared cooking conditions both on cooking value and pasteurization value were also determined. These results demonstrate the considerable potential for the application of ohmic-infrared combination cooking process to the meatballs.