Pasteurization, development and storage of sous vide rendang (spicy beef stew)

This study aims to develop product and processing parameters of sous vide rendang and to examine its quality changes during storage. Sous vide rendang may be pasteurized for 443 min at 75°C and for 88 min at 85°C using fast heating to meet the Pv₉₀ = 10-min guideline for pasteurization. Process-meat-formulation combinations of sous vide rendang indicated that processing at 85°C/2 h, the use of rump and formulation 1 (F1) produced better sensory properties. Water activity (A_w), aside from pasteurization, is a possible controlling factor for sous vide (SV) rendang but not pH. Conventionally cooked (CC) rendang stored at 2°C and sous vide rendang pasteurized at 70°C/100 min (SS70) and at 85°C/2 h (SS85) stored at 2 and 10°C can last for 35 days using microbiological count as its storage indicator. Applications of guidelines by the UK Food Standards Agency would mean that the maximum shelf life allowable for CC and SS70 will only be 10 days compared to SS85, which is 40 days.