Effect of Treatment with Heated Scallop Shell Powder on the Inactivation of Naturally Existing Bacteria and Listeria monocytogenes Inoculated on Chicken Meat

Abstract

This study investigated the efficacy of heated scallop shell powder (HSSP) treatment in preserving chicken thigh meat. Chicken thigh meat was treated with HSSP slurry (1% and 5%) for 60 min, and the variation in aerobic bacteria and coliform populations was assessed during refrigerated storage (10 °C). There was a substantial increase in aerobic bacteria, reaching nearly 7 log10 colony forming unit (CFU)/g following 7 days of refrigeration, in the untreated chicken meat. Conversely, the aerobic bacterial population of the HSSP-treated chicken was <5 log10 CFU/g. Coliform growth in the untreated chicken reached over 5 log10 CFU/g following 7 days. In contrast, the coliform population of the HSSP-treated chicken did not reach 5 log10 CFU/g at 1% HSSP concentration; it was suppressed to <4 log10 CFU/g at 5% concentration. Listeria monocytogenes, which can grow at low temperatures, was inoculated into the chicken meat (5 log10 CFU/g) treated with alcohol, which was followed by HSSP. In the untreated chicken, L. monocytogenes increased to 9 log10 CFU/g even when refrigerated for 7 days. However, in the chicken treated with 5% HSSP, L. monocytogenes was suppressed to approximately 3 log10 CFU/g. These findings reveal that HSSP treatment is an effective method for disinfecting meat, inhibiting bacterial growth, and enhancing preservation.