Reduction of Listeria monocytogenes on chicken breasts by combined treatment with UV-C light and bacteriophage ListShield

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of a commercial bacteriophage (ListShield) against Listeria monocytogenes, alone or in combination with UV-C treatment, using artificially inoculated chicken breast. A mixture of three L. monocytogenes strains ATCC 19113, ATCC 19115, and ATCC 13932 was inoculated in chicken breast muscle (approximately 4.5 log CFU/g), followed by UV-C irradiation (at 600, 1200, 1800, and 2400 mWs/cm2), and/or phage treatment. Chicken breast samples were analyzed after 5 min and then stored for 72 h at 4 °C. Phage treatment was seen to reduce bacterial counts by up to 0.84 log units when applied alone, or 2.04 log units in combination with UV-C treatment during storage for 72 h. Additionally, the quality evaluation of chicken breast fillets such as thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), pH, surface color as well as other sensory analysis were examined. There were no significant difference (p > 0.05) in color, pH (up to 48 h), TBARS and sensory quality (up to 24 h) due to phage and UV-C treatment (600–2400 mWs/cm2). In conclusion, our results demonstrate that a commercial bacteriophage preparation can be very effective for the control of L. monocytogenes in chicken fillets, either alone or in combination with UV-C treatment.