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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania » Eastern Regional Research Center » Food Safety and Intervention Technologies Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #369728
Research Project: The Role of Genotype in the Development and Validation of Growth Models and Intervention Technologies for Pathogenic Non-Shiga Toxigenic Escherichia coli Found in Foods

Location: Food Safety and Intervention Technologies Research

Title: Effect of papaya extract and high-pressure processing on Salmonella population, color and texture of chicken breast

Author
item CHEN, YI-AN - Tunghai University
item CHAI, HUI-ERH - National Taiwan University
item Uknalis, Joseph
item HSU, HSIN-YUN - Tunghai University
item Sheen, Shiowshuh - Allen

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/31/2020
Publication Date: 7/13/2020
Citation: Chen, Y., Chai, H., Uknalis, J., Hsu, H., Sheen, S. 2020. Effect of papaya extract and high-pressure processing on Salmonella population, color and texture of chicken breast. Meeting Abstract. Volume 1, Page 1., IFT Virtual Presentation, 7/13/2020

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Introduction: The toughness of chicken breasts becomes a concern for some customers. Papaya extract (PaExt) can digest/soften muscle tissues to improve meat tenderness and has been widely used in meat industry. High-pressure processing (HPP), a non-thermal pasteurization technique, efficiently inactivates most foodborne microorganisms. However, PaExt and HPP might incur some negative changes in meat texture and/or appearance. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to evaluate the impact of PaExt and HPP treatments on color and microstructure of chicken breasts and to identify the treatment parameters for the decontamination of Salmonella spp. Methods: Irradiated skinless fresh chicken breasts were massaged with 0.3% (w/w) PaExt and placed at 10°C incubator for 1, 3, or 5 hr, then, inoculated with Salmonella cocktail at 8.1-8.4 log CFU/g initial populations, followed with 350 or 450 MPa HPP for 10 min at 4°C. The Salmonella populations before and after treatments were enumerated to determine the pathogen reductions (log CFU/g) caused by PaExt or HPP or HPP+PaExt. The color and microstructure of samples were measured by colorimeter (L*-lightness, a*-redness, and b*-yellowness) and scanning electron microscope, respectively. Results: The microstructure of chicken breasts showed that myofibrils and connective tissue were either irregularly arranged and fractured or aggregated to form sponge-like structures after PaExt and HPP treatments. With pressure increased, the deeper and larger voids/cavities were observed. Moreover, owing to the myoglobin denaturation and heme displacement, significant brighter (P<0.05) appearance was observed on HPP, PaExt and HPP+PaExt treated samples, in which L* increased from 52.38 (non-treated) to values ranging from 74.94 to 82.47, 54.38 to 58.22, and 75.47 to 83.07, respectively. The sample treated with 0.3% PaExt for 5 hr and 450 MPa HPP may achieve >4.5-log reduction, an effective treatment in reducing Salmonella populations on chicken breasts. Significance: The application of PaExt and HPP was effective for tenderization and Salmonella inactivation on chicken breasts. The identified treatment parameters may be used for industries to improve the products’ quality and microbial food safety.