Quality and Safety of Fresh Chicken Fillets after High Pressure Processing: Survival of Indigenous and Inoculated .

The effect of high-pressure processing (HPP) on , the indigenous microbiota and the shelf-life of chicken fillets was evaluated. Chicken fillets were inoculated with different inocula (2, 4, and 6 log CFU/g) of a 4-strain cocktail of , vacuum-packed, processed or not with HPP (500 MPa/10 min) and stored at 4 °C and 12 °C. Total viable counts (TVC), , spp., , lactic acid bacteria (LAB), and yeasts/molds were determined along with the pH and sensory analysis. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) was used to monitor the succession of indigenous isolates and inoculated strains. The main spoilage microorganism of HPP-treated samples was detected after 3 days of storage. HPP decreased the inoculated population. For the low and medium inoculum case it was detected throughout the shelf-life at both temperatures in populations near to the detection limit or after enrichment. In the high inoculum case, the pathogen decreased ≥5-log cycles after HPP, while increased subsequently to 1.6 and 4.5 log CFU/g at 4 °C and 12 °C, respectively, by the end of the shelf-life. PFGE showed that isolates exhibited a significant diversity among control samples, whereas this was limited for the HPP-treated samples. The survival and distribution of different strains depended on the initial inoculum and storage temperature. In conclusion, HPP increased the shelf-life (for 5 and 4 days, at 4 °C and 12 °C, respectively) and enhanced the safety of chicken meat.