Skip to main content
ARS Home » Northeast Area » Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania » Eastern Regional Research Center » Microbial and Chemical Food Safety » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #381169
Research Project: Development of Predictive Microbial Models for Food Safety using Alternate Approaches

Location: Microbial and Chemical Food Safety

Title: Combination effect of papaya extract and high pressure processing on Salmonella inactivation on raw chicken breast meat and meat quality assessment

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

Submitted to: Journal of Food Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/22/2021
Publication Date: 10/23/2021
Citation: Chen, Y., Hsu, H., Chai, H., Uknalis, J., Sheen, S. 2021. Combination effect of papaya extract and high pressure processing on Salmonella inactivation on raw chicken breast meat and meat quality assessment. Journal of Food Science. 133, Part B. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodcont.2021.108637.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodcont.2021.108637

Interpretive Summary: Salmonella contamination and meat texture are the important microbial safety concern and quality factor, respectively, for the food industry to develop and manufacture consumer meat products. High pressure processing (HPP) is an effective non-thermal intervention means to reduce the salmonella in poultry meats. Enzyme (e. g. papaya extract) can be used to improve the meat quality. We have applied these two approaches in combination to achieve the 99.999% Salmonella reduction and poultry breast meat tenderization, which may much enhance food safety and product values. Those HPP operation and enzyme dose (0.3%) conditions may be easily applied to the existing high-pressure production-scale unit in poultry industry. The developed HPP operation may further reduce the processing cost.

Technical Abstract: Impact of papaya extract (PaExt) and/or high pressure processing (HPP) on survival of Salmonella spp., meat quality and microstructure of chicken breast meat was studied. More than 6 log CFU/g of Salmonella were inactivated by 3h or 5 h pretreatment with PaExt (0.3%, w/w) followed by 450 MPa (10 min, 4') HPP stress. The Salmonella cells injured by PaExt and HPP tended to take longer time to recover than those treated with HPP alone in two-week storage tests. Regarding meat quality, the color parameters (L*, a* and b* values) were significantly increased in all pressurized groups. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images showed the muscle fibers and connective tissues were severely degraded in the 5 h PaExt and HPP combined treatment. The treatment with PaExt (3 h or 5 h) in combination with HPP effectively inactivated Salmonella by > 6 log CFU/g in chicken breast meat and modified meat microstructure. This process may enhance the microbial safety and tenderize chicken breast meat.