HIGH-POWER PULSED LIGHT FOR DECONTAMINATION OF CHICKEN FROM FOOD PATHOGENS: A STUDY ON ANTIMICROBIAL EFFICIENCY AND ORGANOLEPTIC PROPERTIES

The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of high-power pulsed light technique to decontaminate the surface of chicken from food pathogens Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium and Listeria monocytogenes as well as from total aerobic mesophils in a nonthermal way. Moreover, it was necessary to investigate the organoleptic properties of treated chicken. The spread plate method was used to evaluate antimicrobial efficiency of high-power pulsed light on S. Typhimurium and L. monocytogenes in vitro and after inoculation on the surface of skinless chicken breast meat. High-power pulsed light treatment (1,000 pulses, treatment duration 200 s, total ultraviolet light dose 5.4 J/cm(2)) reduced viability of S. Typhimurium and L. monocytogenes inoculated on the surface of chicken by 2-2.4 log(10) (N/N-0) colony forming unit (cfu)/mL order. In addition, total aerobic mesophils on the surface of meat were diminished by 2 log(10) (N/N-0) cfu/mL. All experiments were performed under nonthermal conditions (<42C). Data obtained on investigation of chemical changes in the treated chicken breasts indicated that the intensity of lipid peroxidation in control and treated chicken samples differed in 0.16 mg malondialdehyde per kilogram of chicken meat. Meanwhile, taste panelists testing organoleptic properties of treated chicken did not detect any changes of raw chicken, chicken broth or cooked chicken meat when it was treated under nonthermal conditions in comparison with control. In conclusion, high-power pulsed light is a fast, effective and environmentally friendly chicken surface decontamination technology in reducing aerobic plate counts as well as inoculated pathogens. It is important to note that no significant changes in meat lipid peroxidation or sensory characteristics were detected in treated chicken under nonthermal conditions.