Modeling the Effect of Simultaneous Use of Allyl Isothiocyanate and Cinnamaldehyde on High Hydrostatic Pressure Inactivation of Uropathogenic and Shiga Toxin-ProducingEscherichia coli in Ground Chicken

Authors: CHUANG, SHIHYU - National Taiwan University; Sheen, Shiowshuh - Allen; Sommers, Christopher; SHEEN, LEE-YAN - National Taiwan University

Submitted to: Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/10/2020
Publication Date: 9/3/2020
Citation: Chuang, S., Sheen, S., Sommers, C.H., Sheen, L. 2020. Modeling the effect of simultaneous use of allyl isothiocyanate and cinnamaldehyde on high hydrostatic pressure inactivation of uropathogenic and shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli in ground chicken. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture. https://doi.org//10.1002/jsfa.10731.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/jsfa.10731

Interpretive Summary: Shiga toxin-producing and Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (STEC and UPEC, respectively) are foodborne pathogens responsible for many outbreaks and serious illness. High pressure processing (HPP) may inactivate or kill bacteria by cell structure disintegration. Ally isothiocyanate (AITC) and trans-cinnamaldehyde (tCinn) (both belonging to essential oils) are commonly used in many foods and have shown effective antimicrobial functions in certain food process applications. A combination of HPP and AITC and tCinn was used to facilitate the inactivation of Escherichia coli in ground chicken meat, and their combinations needed to kill 99.999% of both pathogens were identified. Simple models to predict the inactivation were developed and validated for the application with HPP which is important for HPP operation development to enhance microbial food safety concerns. Models can be used in risk assessment.

Technical Abstract: Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) and shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) are frequent contaminants in ground poultry meat, which may be significantly reduced/inactivated by high pressure processing (HPP), a non-thermal pasteurization technology, without damaging meat quality and nutritional value at properly selected pressure levels (< 400 MPa). This study described/predicted the pathogen inactivation in raw ground chicken meat under HPP stress (225-325 MPa; 10-20 min) integrated with allyl isothiocyanate (AITC, 0.03-0.09%, w/w) and trans-cinnamaldehyde (tCinn, 0.10-0.20%), with regression models developed and validated using a four-variable full factorial design (FFD). The R2 of STEC O157:H7 and UPEC polynomial models were 0.97 and 0.93, respectively. Dimensionless non-linear models may cover variable ranges slightly wider than those selected for the FFD. Response surface 3D plots indicated that 5-log (CFU/g) reductions, as required by the National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods, in STEC O157:H7 may be achieved at 305 MPa/18 min/0.08% AITC/0.17% tCinn. Similar results for UPEC may be attained at 293 MPa/16 min/0.06% AITC/0.16% tCinn. The combined use of AITC and tCinn under hydrostatic pressure stress synergistically reduced the applied dose of each compound as well as the hydrostatic pressure level (for minimum meat quality damage) while having similar bacterial inactivation level achieved. Most importantly, we observed that any HPP-AITC-tCinn stress lethal to STEC O157:H7 may simultaneously reach an at least equal level of UPEC inactivation. Such finding and models could further assist commercial process optimization, product development as well as food safety risk assessment.