Sodium lactate promotes freshness of chilled beef through colour stability and antibacterial activity

In the present work, fresh beef was treated with 3 g/L sodium lactate, while fresh beef without treatment served as negative control. Based on the comprehensive analyses of pH, total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N), colour, and microbial quality, the acceptable shelf life of chilled beef treated with sodium lactate was six days, while the control was acceptable for three days. Sodium lactate usage was conducive to hygiene levels improvement. Lactobacillus spp. and Weissella spp. sharply displaced the Ralstoni spp. with high potential spoilage, and became the predominant bacteria. Moreover, the proliferation of Serratia spp. was completely controlled by sodium lactate treatment. Sodium lactate usage exhibited a better pH stability and outstanding colour stability together with antibacterial efficacy. Furthermore, we suggested the mechanistic insights on colour stability and antibacterial efficacy of sodium lactate due to its roles in the regeneration of reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) together with pH regulation.