Effects of in-package cold plasma treatment on poultry breast meat packaged in high CO2 atmosphere

Abstract

ABSTRACT: High CO2 in packages significantly extends microbiological shelf life of poultry meat. Cold plasma is an emerging antimicrobial treatment, which generates various reactive gas species and inactivates microbials effectively. The objective of this study was to explore the potential effects of combining high CO2 package and in-package cold plasma (IPCP) treatments on the quality and safety of raw chicken breast meat. Noninoculated samples and samples inoculated with Campylobacter jejuni and Salmonella Typhimurium were packaged in 0, 30, 70, or 100% CO2 (with make-up gas N2) and treated with IPCP at 70 kV for 3 min. Ozone formation, microbial counts, drip loss, pH, and color were measured. There was no interaction effect between high CO2 package and IPCP on microbial counts, drip loss, and color measurements. IPCP reduced spoilage microbial growth by 0.43 log (from 7.00 log to 6.57 log, P = 0.033) and C. jejuni populations by 0.67 log (from 4.82 log to 4.15 log, P 0.05). Data demonstrate that there are no combined effects by high CO2 package and IPCP on meat quality and safety of raw chicken breast meat under our experimental conditions. Either high CO2 package or IPCP can retain microbial quality and safety, even though they may cause changes in appearance of stored chicken breast meat.

Keywords

• dielectric barrier discharge
• campylobacter jejuni
• salmonella typhimurium
• meat quality
• nonthermal plasma