Sensory evaluation and inhibition of Listeria monocytogenes in bovine pâté added of chitosan from Mucor rouxii

This study aimed to assess the efficacy of chitosan from Mucor rouxii UCP 064 in inhibiting Listeria monocytogenes in bovine meat pâté at 4 °C. The influence of the chitosan addition on sensory aspects of the product was also evaluated. The addition of chitosan from M. rouxii at 5 mg/g to bovine meat pâté decreased the counts of L. monocytogenes from approximately 7 to 3 log cfu/g after 6 days of storage at 4 °C. In pâté without chitosan the counts were over 7 log cfu/g already after two days of storage. Sensory evaluation suggested that addition of chitosan in pâté would be acceptable to consumers, although some negative influence on flavor and taste was found. From these results, chitosan from fungi could be considered a possible alternative compound to control L. monocytogenes in ready-to-eat meat products.