Most irradiated samples did not exceed 107 CFU·g−1, which is the
limit set by ICMSF (1986) as the totalmicrobial count onmeat. However,
the dose of 1.5 kGy was not enough to fully inhibit the growth of the
microorganisms as this limit was reached at 28 days of storage for
mesophilic anaerobes and at 42 days for psychotropic anaerobic
bacteria.
It can be observed that the non-irradiated lamb loin had a maximum
shelf-life of 14 days under chill conditions, presenting counts above
107 CFU·g−1. On the other hand, samples irradiated with 3.0 kGy had
counts below 107 CFU·g−1 even after 56 days These results are similar
with those found by Park et al. (2010), who concluded that gamma
radiation may be more effective for reducing bacterial counts compared
to electron beam irradiation for beef burgers.