BACTERIAL COUNTS AND OXIDATIVE PROPERTIES OF CHICKEN BREAST INOCULATED WITH SALMONELLA TYPHIMURIUM EXPOSED TO GASEOUS OZONE

Poultry meats are highly perishable due to bacterial contamination; thus, elimina- tion of bacterial contaminants is a challenge for food safety industry. This study was designed to evaluate the bacterial counts and oxidative properties of chicken breast contaminated with Salmonella Typhimurium (ST) exposed to gaseous ozone during refrigerated storage. Slices of chicken breast were inoculated with ST by immersing them in peptone water containing 1.0 × 107 cfu of ST per milliliter peptone water. Samples were placed in a container with normal air (no ozone) or in a container equipped with an ozone generator that produce a continuous flux of ozone (10 × 10−6 kg O3/m3/h) and negative ions. Gaseous ozone exposure sig- nificantly reduced ST and the total aerobic and anaerobic bacterial counts during storage compared with the nontreatment group (P < 0.05). Gaseous ozone expo- sure significantly reduced CIE L* and increased CIE b* surface color values after 3 and 2 days of storage, respectively (P < 0.05). Gaseous ozone exposure signifi- cantly inhibited catalase and glutathione peroxidase activity after 3 days (P < 0.05). A higher TBARS (2-thiobarbituric acid reactive substances) value (P < 0.05) was found in chicken breast subjected to ozone exposure after 3 days of storage. In conclusion, gaseous ozone exposure reduced the bacterial counts in chicken breast from the beginning of the study and affected the oxidative proper- ties on the last day of the study