BACIERIAL CONTAMINATION ON VARIOUS
STORE-BOUGHT RAW MEATS: GROUND BEEF,
GROUND PORK, GROUND TURKEY
by Jeanette Latimer

Department of Biology and Chemistry
Lake Superior State University

Abstract

	Meat is an important source of nutrition for humans, but it also serves as an ideal
culture medium for microbial growth. An ideal environment for spoilage caused by
microbial growth is persistent on raw meats due to the high concentrations of
carbohydrates, fats and proteins.

	The objective of this experiment was to determine if a significant difference
between bacterial growth on ground beef ground turkey, and ground pork exists. Six
packages each of ground beef ground turkey, and ground pork were purchased ftom
Glen's County Market. A total of one hundred eighty petri plates (sixty for each raw
meat) were prepared using the procedure illustrated by Harley and Prescott. The plates
were then incubated for forty-eight hours, and finally, the bacterial colonies were counted
for each. Using a non-parametric statistical analysis known as the Kruskal-Wallace test, it
was found that the three different meats possessed means that differed significantly from
one another (p-value  0.0025).



References

Harley,	J.P., Prescott, L.M. Laboratory Exercises in Microbiology 2nd Edition. Wm.
C. Brown Publishers. Dubuque, Iowa. 1993. pp l73-176.

Zottola	Ph.D., E.A. . Microbial Attachment and Biofilm Formation. A New Problem
for the Food Industry? Food Technology. July 1994. pp 1O7-114.