A method for decontaminating beef is disclosed. The method includes dicing beef into diced particles, chilling the diced particles into chilled particles, compressing and/or flexing the chilled particles to separate fat from the chilled particles to produce fat particles and lean particles, mixing the fat particles and lean particles with a fluid, wherein a density of the lean particles is initially less than a fluid density, treating the lean particles and fat particles with energy harmful to pathogens as the fluid and lean and fat particles pass through an energy-emitting device at least while the lean particles are less dense than the fluid, increasing the temperature of the lean particles to increase the density which causes the lean particles to sink in the fluid, and separating the lean particles from the fat particles.
