Carvacrol encapsulated in chia mucilage nanocapsules reduces <i>Salmonella</i> population in chicken meat

Abstract Salmonella contamination in poultry products remains a significant concern worldwide, affecting food safety and public health. In this study, carvacrol encapsulated in chia mucilage nanocapsules (CMNP) was tested against a cocktail of Salmonella enterica artificially inoculated into chicken meat. The bactericidal inactivation concentration of CMNP and carvacrol emulsion was 0.92 and 1.77 mg/ml, respectively, while no inhibitory effect was observed for unloaded nanocapsules (UCMN). A reduction of approximately 2 log CFU/g in the viable Salmonella count was observed in 0.25 hr when CMNP was applied and remained constant for 72 hr. For CE, the maximum reduction (1.7 log CFU/g) occurred at 6 hr and, for UCMN, the peak reduction in the viable Salmonella count occurred after 2 hr (0.7 log CFU/g). The colour of all the samples after the experiments was whitish, like that of cooked chicken. The texture of the samples exposed to 48 and 72 hr of contact showed significant variations. Despite this, CMNP has the potential to be used as an antimicrobial in processed chicken foods, such as nuggets or burgers, considering that changes in colour and texture may not be visually noticeable after heat treatment.