Meat Slurry Formulation

Sirloin steaks were obtained from a local supermarket in Guelph, ON and stored at 4°C. Fat, protein, and moisture contents of the beef were determined with the MEAT Trac^TM (CEM Corporation, Matthews, NC, United States), Sprint, Rapid Protein Analyser (CEM Corporation), and Smart Turbo (CEM Corporation), respectively. Meat slurries were prepared by grinding sirloin steaks in a food processor (Bowl Scraping Food Processor, Hamilton Beach, Glen Allen, VA, United States). For each 100 g of ground meat, 30 g of liquid (SM buffer for control samples, or phage preparation, or bacterial subculture for inoculating samples), and NaCl (2% w/w, final concentration) were added and mixed thoroughly using a food processor and stored frozen in freezer bags until use. All experiments detailed in the manuscript were conducted in triplicate from a single batch of frozen meat slurry thawed before each experiment. For each sample, 10 g of meat slurry was transferred to a 18 × 30 cm commercial meat barrier bags (oxygen transmission rate 40–50 cc m^–2 24 h⁻¹; Winpak Ltd., Winnipeg, MB, Canada) and rolled using a 2 mm ridged roller pin resulting in sheets of meat slurry with an uniform thickness of 2 mm. The pH of the slurry (uncooked) was determined using a flat surface pH probe (sympHony^TM Handheld Meters, B106, VWR International, Radnor, PA, United States).