Reduction of Campylobacter jejuni by natural antimicrobials in chicken meat-related conditions

Nowadays it is essential to test new preservation and decontamination procedures using naturally occurring chemicals against important pathogenic bacteria in meat. We tested the antimicrobial effect of rosemary extracts and the bacteriocin nisin against Campylobacter jejuni at a low storage temperature (8 °C) with or without short-term pre-freezing. The antimicrobial effect of rosemary extract was four times greater in laboratory media than in chicken meat juice. Furthermore, low temperature storage conditions prolonged the survival of C. jejuni in chicken meat juice. Nisin, with an approximately 1.0 log reduction was neither effective alone nor in combination with the extract. Pre-freezing with plant extract addition proved to be effective treatment by more than 3.0 log reduction in 48 h. The results in chicken meat food model again showed the synergistic effect of freezing and plant extract antimicrobial activity. As the combination of pre-freezing and plant extract treatment reduced the cell number by more than 2.0 log reduction, studies should be conducted to further evaluate this promising treatment for Campylobacter reduction in the poultry meat supply.