The effect of two methods of cooking and cooling on Clostridium welchii and other bacteria in meat.

A comparison was made of beef cooked in conventional and moist air (Rapidaire) ovens. In both large (ca. 4.5 kg.) and small (ca. 2.7 kg.) joints, spores of Clostridium welchii survived after cooking but vegetative cells, Escherichia coli, and Staphylococcus aureus, did not, regardless of the type of oven used.Cooling at room temperature after cooking permitted growth of Cl. welchii. Although some multiplication also occurred in the centre of large roasts cooled under refrigeration, the viable counts were considered too low to constitute a potential health risk.