The use of ionizing radiation as a method of eliminating pathogenic microorganism in Chicken Nuggets

In order to determine an effective treatment of ionizing energy on chicken nuggets a study was developed so as to eliminate pathogens such as Escherichia coli and Salmonella enteritidis. The experiment included 3 types of analyses: aerobic plate count, organoleptic evaluation and chemical analyses. A total of 144 frozen nuggets (-18oC )were analyzed and divided into two equal groups for proceeding with artificial contamination.Each nugget -weighting 25 g -was put into sealed polietilene bags.The two sample groups were sterilized with irradiation doses of 25 kGy, then inoculated with Escherichia coli O157:H7 strain ATCC 25922 ISP (Instituto de Salud Publica) and Salmonella enteritidis strain ATCC 1833-99 ISP. The samples of each group were treated with gamma irradiation (Co60), with doses of 0,3;0,6 and 0,9 kGy,except for one group (control) which was not irradiated, and stored for 24 hours, 30 and 60 days post radiation. The D10 values mid-point were found for the Escherichia coli to be 0,242 kGy and 0,295 kGy for the Salmonella enteritidis. A third group, composed by 9 randomly selected nuggets without sterilization was chosen to determine the total aerobic plate counts, resulting in an initial count of 6,15x 104 ufc/g. The sensory analysis of nuggets was done by means of a trained sensorial panel who evaluated samples with 0,75 and 1,5 kGy and those of the control group non irradiated. Each person tasted the whole sample (25 g)and evaluated: appearance, color, odor, bitterness, texture, flavor and acceptability. Statistically, none attribute showed significant differences (p≤0.05)between the radiated samples and the control group, concluding that the level of the nugget acceptability was qualified as very good. The chemical analysis of nuggets was done in two groups: A control group and an irradiated group with 1.5 kGy. It evaluated the percentage of proteins, fats, ashes, humidity and carbohydrates. Statistically, none of the nutrients showed significant differences (p≤0.05)between the radiated samples and the control group (au)