Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Meat Science journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/meatsci Effect of lactic acid spray on microbial and quality parameters of buffalo meat Adeel Manzoor a , Muhammad Hayat Jaspal a, ⁎ , Tahir Yaqub b , Anwaar Ul Haq a , Jamal Nasir a , Muhammad Avais c , Bilal Asghar a , Iftikhar Hussain Badar a , Sohail Ahmad d , Muhammad Kashif Yar a a Department of Meat Science and Technology, University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan b Department of Microbiology, University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan c Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan d Department of Poultry Production, University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan ARTICLE INFO Keywords: Lactic acid Buffalo meat Microbial load Color Sensory quality ABSTRACT We evaluated the effect of lactic acid spray on micro-flora, instrumental color, shelf-life and sensory attributes of buffalo meat displayed under Modified Atmosphere Packaging. Buffalo calf carcasses (n = 12) were sliced into equal sagittal halves, n = 6 halves were randomly assigned to each of four treatments i.e. 2% LA, 4% LA, 6% LA and control. Afterwards, sirloin and tenderloin were vacuum packed and aged for 7 days. Later, steaks were packed in high-oxygen MAP. Microbial load, instrumental color, shelf-life and sensory attributes were evaluated at different days. Aerobic plate count of sprayed carcass and steaks was significantly lower than un-sprayed control. Similarly, though non-significant, redness and chroma value of sprayed carcass meat was found better than un-sprayed control. Lactic acid sprayed meat did not differ in terms of sensory attributes. It is concluded that spraying buffalo carcasses with 2–4% lactic acid after slaughter not only enhances microbial quality but it may also improve its instrumental color. 1. Introduction Meat being a good nutritive substrate is highly susceptible to mi- crobial contamination which can lead to its spoilage, foodborne ill- nesses and reduced shelf-life (Komba et al., 2012). In order to avoid microbial growth and extend shelf-life of meat, different methods have been employed, including hot water rinses (Castillo, Lucia, Goodson, Savell, & Acuff, 1998), irradiation, high hydrostatic pressure, steam pasteurization, use of bio preservatives (Aymerich, Picouet, & Monfort, 2008) and organic acid sprays e.g. lactic acid (Carpenter, Smith, & Broadbent, 2011; Kotula & Thelappurate, 1994; Woolthuis & Smulders, 1985). These techniques could reduce bacterial count on meat surface, but discoloration of meat surface remained an issue, particularly, when organic acids were used at higher concentrations. Better color stability is a matter of concern to the meat industry as it is the main quality attribute that affects the buying decision of consumers (Canto et al., 2016). Lactic acid is an organic acid and it has a status of Generally Regarded As Safe (GRAS) which allows it to be used in food products (21 CFR, 172.515) (Mani-Lopez, Garcia, & Lopez-Malo, 2012). Lactic acid is a weak acid and its dissociation constant (pKa) value is 3.88. Anti-microbial activity of lactic acid results from several factors, in- cluding, its ability to lower cytoplasmic pH by entering the cell in un- dissociated form and then dissociate by releasing proton (H + )(Aslim, Yuksekdag, Sarikaya, & Beyatli, 2005; Desriac et al., 2013), by physical disruption of microbes and hence immediate decontamination of meat surfaces (Carpenter et al., 2011) and by free radicals produced in the cell due to perturbation of electron transport chain under acid stress (Mols, Van Kranenburg, Van Melis, Moezelaar, & Abee, 2010). Post-slaughter decontamination of cattle-beef carcasses has been studied extensively (Aymerich et al., 2008; Carpenter et al., 2011; Castillo et al., 1998; Kotula & Thelappurate, 1994; F. J. Smulders & Woolthuis, 1985). An estimation of antimicrobial effects of lactic acid usage on native micro-biota of buffalo meat is also significantly im- portant because, different bacterial composition and populations on buffalo carcasses can influence not only the quality of the meat but also the survival and growth of microbes (Friedrich et al., 2008). Though lactic acid had been widely used in cattle beef at different https://doi.org/10.1016/j.meatsci.2019.107923 Received 11 March 2019; Received in revised form 28 July 2019; Accepted 22 August 2019 ⁎ Corresponding author at: Department of Meat Science and Technology, University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Lahore 54000, Pakistan. E-mail address: hayat.jaspal@uvas.edu.pk (M.H. Jaspal). Meat Science xxx (xxxx) xxxx 0309-1740/ © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Please cite this article as: Adeel Manzoor, et al., Meat Science, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.meatsci.2019.107923