Effect of tartaric acid on salmonella SPP. in microbiological media and in turkey carcasses

Abstract

The objective of the investigations was to determine the effect of tartaric acid concentration on Salmonella spp. in microbiological substrates and poultry carcasses. The average bacteria counts in the control samples without tartaric acid were: as for S. Enteritidis: 1.8×108; as for S. Anatum: 1.1×108; and 2.0×108 in the case of S. Typhimurium. tartaric acid in 0.1 % concentration agar substrate totally inhibited the growth of all the Salmonella strains studied. With the concentration of 0.05 % and 0.03 % of tartaric acid, the count of S. Anatum and S. Enteritidis decreased by one logarithmic cycle if compared to the control sample. However, the count of S. Typhimurium grew by the numbers from the same logarithmic range as in the control investigation. The results of the investigations obtained after the turkey carcass elements were immersed in the tartaric acid prove that the fact whether or not the Salmonella spp. are detected in the samples depends on the inoculum of these bacteria on the surface of poultry carcasses. Salmonella spp. were not found when the surface of turkey carcass element was contaminated with 101 Salmonella spp. colony-forming-units (cfj) and immersed for 15 minutes in aqueous solutions of 1.5 % and 2 % tartaric acid. However, it was found that the contamination of 102 cfj resulted in a reduced number of samples, in which Salmonella spp. were detected compared to the number of control samples. The inhibiting impact of tartaric acid on Salmonella spp. in bacterial substrates can also occur in the case of poultry carcasses. The unfavourable effect of this compound on Salmonella bacteria was stronger in the microbiological media than in the poultry carcasses.