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Appl Environ Microbiol. 1970 June; 19(6): 937-939
Copyright © 1970 American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Hydrogen Sulfide Production by Bacteria and Sulfmyoglobin Formation in Prepacked Chilled Beef

Meat Research Laboratory, C.S.I.R.O. Division of Food Preservation, Cannon Hill, Queensland, 4170, Australia

ABSTRACT

Meat stored at 1 to 2 C under low oxygen tensions, either in gas-impermeable packs or in controlled atmospheres, occasionally exhibited an undesirable green exudate. The green pigment was identified spectrophotometrically as sulfmyoglobin. The conversion of myoglobin to sulfmyoglobin resulted from the production of H₂S by bacteria tentatively identified as Pseudomonas mephitica. This organism produced H₂S only when the oxygen tension was about 1% and the pH of the meat was 6.0 and above.