Purpose: This study evaluated the effects of antimicrobial treatments, surface browning method and product dimensions on inoculated Salmonella in a NRTE, surface-browned, frozen, breaded chicken product.
Methods: Fresh chicken breast meat portions (5×5×5 cm) were inoculated (5 log CFU/g) with Salmonella (7-strain mixture) and mixed with solutions of caprylic acid (CAA; 0.0625%)+carvacrol (CAR; 0.075%), CAA (0.25%)+ε-polylysine (POL; 0.5%), CAR (0.15%)+POL (0.5%), CAA (0.0625%)+CAR (0.075%)+POL (0.5%), or distilled water (control). Sodium chloride (1.2%) and sodium tripolyphosphate (0.3%) were added to all treatments (5% total moisture enhancement), and then ground and formed into 9×5×3 cm, 150 g portions or 9×2.5×2 cm, 50 g portions. Samples were coated with breadcrumbs, surface-browned in an oven (208 °C, 15 min) or by deep-frying in vegetable oil (190 °C, 15 s), packaged, and stored (-20 °C, 8 days). Pathogen counts of products (two repetitions, three samples each) were statistically analyzed and independent variables included antimicrobial treatment, browning method, product dimensions, and their interactions.
Results: Total reductions of inoculated (4.9 log CFU/g) Salmonella in control oven-browned products were 0.7 and 3.8 log CFU/g for 9×5×3 cm and 9×2.5×2 cm samples, respectively, while reductions in control fryer-browned samples were 0.6 log CFU/g, irrespective of product size. Compared to the untreated control, all tested antimicrobial treatments reduced (P < 0.05) Salmonella counts, and the most effective treatment was CAR (0.15%)+POL (0.5%). Irrespective of antimicrobial treatment, pathogen reductions in fryer-browned samples were not (P ≥ 0.05) affected by product dimensions, whereas oven browning of 9×2.5×2 cm samples resulted in higher (P < 0.05) reductions of Salmonella (reductions of 3.8 to >4.6 log CFU/g) than oven browning of 9×5×3 cm samples (reductions of 0.7 to 2.5 log CFU/g).
Significance: These findings should be useful in the selection of suitable antimicrobials, browning method and product sizes to reduce levels of Salmonella contamination in NRTE, surface-browned, frozen, breaded chicken products.