Microbiological changes of marinated broiler drumsticks treated with the lactoperoxidase system and with or without thermal treatment

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the combined effects of lactoperoxidase system (LPS), thermal treatment and storage time on total microflora and psychrotrophs counts of the marinated broiler drumsticks. A marinade that contained acetic acid (1%) and salt (3%) with pH adjusted to 4 was developed as a standardized marinade. Drumsticks were marinated with various LPS levels, combined with thermal treatment (4 or 58°C for 2 min), and then stored at 4°C for 18 h. The microbial counts of the samples were measured after 0, 2, 4 and 7 days of storage for drumsticks held at 4°C. The results indicate that adding LPS at the level of 1 unit (1 μg/ml LP, 5.9 mM KSCN, and 2.5 mM H2O2) significantly (p<0.05) decreased the total microflora and psychrotrophs counts of the marinated broiler drumsticks. In addition, samples treated with a thermal treatment (58°C for 2 min) had significantly (p<0.05) lower microbial counts when compared with the control.