Modeling thermal inactivation of Salmonella Enteritidis in ground chicken supplemented with a mixture of ribwort, sorrel, and yarrow extracts

Abstract

AbstractThermal death kinetics of Salmonella Enteritidis in ground chicken in the presence of ribwort, sorrel and yarrow extracts mixture (1%) was investigated by fitting the inactivation curves to the log–linear and Weibull models. The thermal inactivation curves were fitted well to both models (r2 ≥ 0.94). The times required for 4–log reduction in the S. Enteritidis population were shortened by 47–64% in ground chicken supplemented with the herbal extract mixture (p < 0.05). The 4–log reduction times calculated using the Weibull model were 0.13–13.6% longer than those extrapolated with the log–linear model. The z values in the ground chicken samples with and without herbal extract were 5.08°C (r2 = 0.97) and 5.57°C (r2= 0.94), respectively. The results suggest that the mixture of these extracts increased the thermal sensitivity of S. Enteritidis significantly at tested temperatures. In addition, using the Weibull model to calculate thermal death kinetics may reduce the underestimation of the thermal reduction times.Practical applicationsThis research aimed to investigate the effects of an herbal extract mixture consisting of ribwort, sorrel, and yarrow on the thermal resistance of Salmonella Enteritidis in ground chicken. While these plants are recognized for their antimicrobial and antioxidant properties, there are not many studies conducted to explore their effects on foodborne pathogens in the food matrix. As far as we know, this is the first study that examines the impact of these plants on the thermal resistance of S. Enteritidis in ground chicken. We determined the thermal death kinetics of S. Enteritidis in ground chicken with and without the herbal extract mixture using curve fitting to log‐linear and Weibull models. The findings of this study could help the food industry to develop cooking conditions for Salmonella‐free chicken products.