The combined effect of sodium lactate, lactic acid and acetic acid on the survival of salmonella spp. and the microbiota of chicken drumsticks

Abstract

The poultry processing industry has been investigating the new decontamination applications to prevent foodborne pathogens and extend the shelf life of poultry products. This study investigates the effects of lactic acid, acetic acid and sodium lactate, alone and in combination, on the survival of Salmonella spp. and the shelf life of chicken drumsticks. The fresh chicken drumsticks were inoculated with Salmonella Typhimurium and Salmonella Enteritidis and they were divided into groups as control (sterile tap water), 1% sodium lactate (SL), 1.5% lactic acid (LA), 1.5% acetic acid (AA), and their combinations. The drumstick samples were immersed into the treatment solutions for 5 minutes and stored at 4 degrees C for eight days, and they were analyzed for aerobic psychrotrophic bacteria (APB), Pseudomonas spp., lactic acid bacteria (LAB), Salmonella spp. and pH level. On day 5, APB, Pseudomonas spp. and LAB numbers exceeded 7.0 log(10) CFU ml(-1) in the control, SL, LA and LA+ SL groups. The reduction levels of Salmonella spp. were 1.2 and 0.9 log(10) CFU ml(-1) in the LA and AA+LA groups on day 0, and they were significantly different from the control group (P<0.05). The shelf life of the chicken drumsticks that were treated with the solutions containing 1.5% M (AA, AA+ SL, AA+ LA and AA+ LA+ SL) was at least two days longer than the control group. It is concluded that the combinations of 1.5% LA, 1.5% AA and 1% SL can be used to reduce the number of Salmonella spp.and to extend the shelf life of chicken drumstick.