Quantitative Prediction and Kinetic Modelling for the Thermal Inactivation of Brochothrix thermosphacta in Beef Using Hyperspectral Imaging

In this work, the feasibility of simulating the thermal inactivation of <i>Brochothrix thermosphacta</i> in beef during heating processing based on hyperspectral imaging (HSI) in the wavelength range of 400-1000 nm was investigated. The Weibull and modified Gompertz kinetic models for the thermal inactivation of <i>B. thermosphacta</i> in beef heated in the range 40-60 °C were developed based on the full wavelength, featured spectral variables, and their principal component scores of HSI information, respectively. Notably, the specific wavebands at 412 nm and 735 nm showed a strong correlation with the surviving <i>B. thermosphacta</i> population during the beef heating process. The partial least squares regression models had a satisfactory ability in quantifying <i>B. thermosphacta</i> in beef, with an R_v² and RMSE of 0.826 and 0.341 log CFU/g, respectively. Furthermore, the Weibull model coupled with the HSI at 735 nm was suitable for kinetic modeling of the thermal inactivation of <i>B. thermosphacta</i> in beef, with an R² value of 0.937. Consequently, this work suggests the potential of the HSI technique for quantifying and monitoring microbes in meat during heating and can be applied for the thermal inactivation kinetic modeling of microorganisms.