Survival of Listeria monocytogenes during Frying of Chicken Burger Patties

This study was aimed to determine sufficient frying time to reduce the number of Listeria monocytogenes present in chicken burger patties to non-detectable level which is fit for human consumption. Commercially available chicken burger patties were artificially contaminated with L. monocytogenes at level of approximately 9 log CFU/ml. The contaminated chicken burger patties were cooked for 0, 2, 4, 5, 8 and 10 minutes to determine survival of L. monocytogenes. Results demonstrated a linear correlation between mean log reduction of L. monocytogenes and frying time. L. monocytogenes was not detected in chicken burger patties that were cooked for 6 minutes and above. As a result from this study, it is suggested that a minimum frying time for burger patties is 6 minutes. This can be treated as a safety measure to avoid consequences of consumption of undercooked burger patties.