Reduction of Campylobacter jejuni counts on chicken meat treated with different seasonings

To analyze the potential of various seasoning combinations in reducing Campylobacter jejuni counts on fresh chicken meat, fresh chicken drumstick samples were inoculated with a mixture of two C. jejuni strains at log 4–5 CFU/g and subsequently treated with six different seasonings. After addition as a dry powder to the meat’s surface, all seasoning combinations adsorbed water from the meat and formed a gel on the meat’s surface. The samples were placed in individual packages containing a modified gas atmosphere (N2 80% and CO2 20%) and stored at 4 °C for seven days and C. jejuni counts in CFU/g were determined at the beginning, after 15 min, 1 h, 1 day and 7 days. The most effective seasoning combination contained, among other ingredients and food additives, sodium lactate and potato protein fractions; it reduced counts by mean 1.52 to 1.66 log CFU/g in seven days. The other seasoning combinations without potato protein fractions decreased counts in the range of mean 1.05 to 1.16 log CFU/g; simultaneously, the counts in control meat samples decreased by mean 0.21 log CFU/g. The death rate estimates after 1 h storage was in the range of −0.25 log CFU/g/h to −0.34 log CFU/g/h.In conclusion, various combinations of seasonings decreased the counts of C. jejuni, with the highest C. jejuni death rate during the first hour and further minor reductions in C. jejuni counts with additional storage time. These types of treatments may decrease human exposure to Campylobacter from fresh poultry meat.

► We examined the reduction of Campylobacter jejuni using various combination of seasoning.
► The most effective seasoning combination reduced C. jejuni 1.66 log CFU/g in 7 days.
► The highest C. jejuni death rate during the first hour.