Effect of Decontamination Treatments on in Chicken.

The ability of different decontaminating treatments (acetic, citric and fumaric acids, and potassium sorbate) to decrease on chicken legs was evaluated. Fresh chicken legs were inoculated with and washed with either acetic, citric, or fumaric acid (1% and 2%), or potassium sorbate (1%, 2%, and 5%) solutions or distilled water. Evolution of , , and counts, and sensorial acceptability were evaluated after treatment (day 1) and on days 2, 4, 7, and 9 of storage at 4 °C. The lowest counts were found in those legs dipped in 2% fumaric acid, while the lowest populations were found in those legs dipped in 2% fumaric or 2% acetic acid. The shelf life of the legs treated was widened by at least 2 days over the control legs. The highest reductions after treatment were obtained in samples dipped in 2% citric acid, which were approximately 2.66 log units lower than in non-treated legs. However, the efficacy of citric acid decreased during storage. After day 2 of storage, the highest reductions of were found in those legs dipped in 2% acetic acid.