Effect of trans-cinnamaldehyde and peracetic acid alone or in combination on multidrug-resistant Salmonella Heidelberg on broiler drumsticks under scalding alone or with chilling and storage in sequence

This study determined the antibacterial effect of trans -cinnamaldehyde ( TC ), peracetic acid ( PAA ), and their combination against Salmonella Heidelberg on broiler drumsticks at scalding conditions alone or with chilling and storage in sequence. Broiler chicken drumsticks were inoculated with a low (∼3.0 log10 CFU/g) or high (∼4.5 log10 CFU/g) concentration of S. Heidelberg. They were immersed in treatment water containing 0.5 % TC, 1 % TC, 0.05 % PAA, 0.5 % TC + 0.05 % PAA, and 1 % TC + 0.05 % PAA at 54 °C for 2 min. The drumsticks inoculated with S. Heidelberg and without any antimicrobial treatment in scalding water were positive controls ( PC ). After scalding, the drumsticks were rinsed in 350 mL phosphate-buffered saline ( PBS ) for 30 s to obtain surviving S. Heidelberg populations enumerated by surface plating and enrichment methods. Additionally, the efficacy of the scalding treatments (PC, 1 % TC, 0.05 % PAA, and 1 % TC + 0.05% PAA) against S. Heidelberg survival on drumsticks after chilling and chilled storage in sequence was determined. At least six replicates per treatment were present in each experiment. Results revealed that PAA and its combination with TC (0.5 or 1 %) resulted in the significant reduction of S. Heidelberg on drumsticks at both inoculum levels ( P < 0.05). Moreover, the treatments inactivated S . Heidelberg to non-detectable levels in the scalding water ( P < 0.05). The scalding treatments also inhibited S. Heidelberg on the drumsticks during chilled storage without affecting the surface color of the drumsticks ( P > 0.05). The study indicated that TC, PAA, or their combinations could be antimicrobials for S. Heidelberg control in poultry processing.