Effect of ethyl-lauroyl-arginate hypochloride in combination with high hydrostatic pressure processing on the microbial load and physico-chemical characteristics of minced and portioned chicken breast meat

Abstract

Campylobacter is an important hazard responsible for many human gastroenteritis cases. As poultry meat is the main source of Campylobacter, many approaches to reduce the Campylobacter load in this meat have been published. In the present study minced and whole broiler breast meat samples were inoculated with Campylobacter (C.) jejuni and treated with different concentrations of the food additive ethyl-Nα-lauroyl-L-arginate hypochloride (LAE, 1,000/1,500 ppm (minced meat); 400/1,000 ppm (whole meat)), with high hydrostatic pressure (HPP, 100/ 200 MPa) or a combination of both preservation methods, followed by vacuum storage up to day 14 after treatment. Aim of the study was to analyze if effects of LAE and HPP alone and in combination on the C. jejuni concentrations and on different meat quality parameters could be found. Analysis of minimal inhibitory and minimal bactericidal concentrations (MIC, MBC) of LAE against 11 C. jejuni and five C. coli strains resulted in MIC/ MBC of 32 ppm for 12 and 64 ppm for four strains investigated. Only 1,500 ppm LAE in minced meat resulted in a significant reduction of the C. jejuni concentrations directly after treatment (day 1) and on day 7 compared to the untreated control samples. Treatment of whole breast meat with 400 and 1,000 ppm LAE resulted in significantly lower C. jejuni concentrations on days 1, 7, and 14 compared to control samples. However, HPP alone and in combination with LAE was not able to reach significant microbial reduction. Whereas LAE only slightly influenced the lightness (L*) results of the minced meat (day 1), HPP treatment with 200 MPa generally increased the L* and yellowness (b*) results of the minced and whole meat on day 1. During further storage, color results were inconsistent in minced and whole meat samples, as well as the myoglobin redox form percentages in the whole meat. In conclusion, a synergistic effect of LAE and HPP could not be proved using the chosen concentrations of LAE and pressure values.

Keywords: Campylobacter; broiler; ethyl-lauroyl-arginate; high pressure processing.