Tenderay process

Figure 1. Typical Tenderay process room, showing method of installing Sterilamp tube...

Meat taken from the room where the Tenderay process is carried out is immediately cooled below 40° F. to inhibit the enzyme action responsible for the tenderization. 

The rate of growth of bacteria and mold is greatly reduced at these low temperatures. The half life of the ozone molecule (9) has been extended to over 6 minutes because of the lower temperature and marked reduction in the absolute humidity as well as a reduction in the odor level. Under these conditions the number of ultraviolet lamps necessary is decreased to about one half of that used in the room where the Tenderay process is carried out. However, the ratio of the bactericidal lamps to the ultraviolet lamps also producing a controlled amount of ozone is kept constant. The concentration of ozone in such a refrigerator has been stated by Ewell (8, 10) to be approximately 0.1 p.p.m. by volume. Tests using Petri plates seeded with bacteria taken from infected meat show results similar to those seen in Figure 2. 

The concentration of ozone in Tenderay process rooms and refrigerators has been determined by Ewell 9) using calibrated potassium iodide-starch paper. This method is not applicable for concentrations lower than 0.4 p,p.m. by volume. Measurement of concentrations below 0.1 p.p.m. by volume involved installing a large number of known lamps in a refrigerator and then dividing the reading to obtain a value for a box with a normal number of lamps. The potassiimi iodide-starch paper was later compared with the Crabtree and Kemp (3) atomized neutral potassium iodide method and... 

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