Protein Changes Caused by Bacterial Growth on Beef

Proteolysis could not be detected, prior to the appearance of spoilage odours and surface slime, in beef allowed to spoil aerobically at 5° with its own natural flora or after inoculation with a reconstituted freeze‐dried beef slime. Although the slime inoculum gave a final microbial flora similar to the naturally‐attained one, it resulted in more rapid and extensive post‐spoilage proteolysis. Pure culture experiments showed that proteolysis was probably due to the activities of Gram negative organisms.