Disclosed is a process for reducing the number of viable microorganisms present on the surface of meat, comprising the steps of: a) providing an untreated meat item having a surface membrane and muscle tissue, said untreated meat item having viable microorganisms on the surface membrane； b) exposing the surface membrane to a spray of liquid cryogen for an exposure time of less than two minutes until the surface membrane reaches a temperature of between -5 and 2°C； c) allowing the surface membrane to warm to give a treated meat item； wherein the number of viable microorganisms present on the surface membrane is reduced, whilst the ß-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase (HADH) activity of the muscle tissue is not increased by a factor of more than 2 in the treated meat item compared with the untreated meat item.
