OPTIMIZATION OF AN ACIDIFIED SODIUM CHLORITE SOLUTION FOR REDUCING PATHOGENIC BACTERIA AND MAINTAINING SENSORY CHARACTERISTICS OF POULTRY MEAT IN SIMULATION SLAUGHTER PROCESS

Chicken breast meat was inoculated with Salmonella Typhimurium and Listeria monocytogenes and then washed with an acidified sodium chlorite (ASC) solution under conditions simulating those used in a commercial chicken processing plant. We evaluated the effects of ASC (concentrations ranging from 0 to 1 g/L, pH at 2.5, 3.5 and 6.5) on the reduction of microbial numbers, meat pH, color, total acceptability and chilled storage characteristics. The results showed that bacterial numbers were significantly reduced with increasing concentrations of ASC and with decreasing pH, reaching maximum reductions of 2.17 and 3.03 log cfu/g for S. Typhimurium and L. monocytogenes when washing with 1 g ASC/L at pH 2.5, respectively. Except for the treatment with 1 g ASC/L at pH 2.5, which resulted in a significant reduction of total acceptability of chicken meat, other treatments were all within an acceptable range. Considering the inactivation of bacteria and the changes in sensory characteristics of meat, we selected 0.8 g ASC/L at pH 2.5 as being optimal for our purpose.