Ergün Ömer Göksoy

The effect of short-time microwave exposures on inoculated pathogens on chicken and the shelf-life of uninoculated chicken meat

Abstract Fresh skin-less chicken breasts were inoculated with Escherichia coli K12 and Campylobacter jejuni (5–6 log 10 cfu cm −2 ) and exposed to microwaves (2450 MHz) in an experimental microwave oven at full power (IEC 1138.8 W) for 10, 20 or 30 s. All three exposures had only a minimal effect on bacterial numbers, in some cases counts were higher after treatment, irrespective of treatment time. Exposure to microwaves for 20 and 30 s had some effect on meat appearance (signs of partial cooking were observed). Further trials were carried out using uninoculated skin-on breasts to determine if 30 s exposure had any effect on subsequent microbial growth and hence shelf-life. There was found to be no difference between the shelf-life of treated and untreated samples stored at 3±1°C. Overall, the results indicate that short time exposure of microorganisms on chicken meat to microwaves has no significant effect on numbers or growth.

Surface pasteurisation of poultry meat using steam at atmospheric pressure

Abstract The effects of various steam treatments on the appearance, shelf-life and microbiological quality of chicken portions were investigated. Application of steam at atmospheric pressure (100°C for 10 s) on naturally contaminated chicken breast portions resulted in a 1.65 log 10 cfu cm−2 (S.D. 1.06) reduction in the numbers of total viable bacteria. However, in comparison with untreated controls, this treatment did not extend the shelf-life. Steam treatment for up to 10 s on chicken portions inoculated with a nalidixic acid resistant strain of Escherichia coli serotype O 80 resulted in a maximum reduction of 1.90 log 10 cfu cm−2 (S.D. 0.63). Overall, results indicate that significant reductions in microbiological numbers can be achieved on chicken meat using steam. However, such reductions have little effect on the shelf-life of portioned chicken.

Non-Uniformity of Surface Temperatures After Microwave Heating of Poultry Meat

Microwave energy has the potential to raise the surface temperatures of meat rapidly for a short period of time sufficient to reduce bacterial numbers significantly without causing physical changes to the meat. Studies have investigated the ability of a standard domestic microwave oven (2450 MHz; IEC 1191 W), an experimental repeatable microwave cavity (2450 MHz; IEC 1139 W) and a number of shielding techniques to achieve uniform surface temperature distributions on pieces of poultry meat. In the domestic oven temperature differences of up to 60 and 80 degrees C were found between different points on the surface of the same sample after 30 s and 3 minutes of heating respectively. The use of a standard cavity and shielding resulted in a difference of less than 5 degrees C between the average surface temperature on the edge and middle of regular slabs of chicken after 30 s exposure. Results show that microwave heating, using 2450 MHz, is unlikely to produce consistently uniform enough surface temperatures on meat to reduce bacterial numbers without surface damage.

Prevalence of Salmonella spp. and Listeria monocytogenes in different cheese types produced in Turkey

Purpose – The present paper seeks to determine the prevalence of Salmonella spp. and Listeria (L.) monocytogenes in several cheese varieties.Design/methodology/approach – A total 280 cheese samples (105 white cheese, 70 processed cheese, 45 dil cheese and 60 kasar cheese) purchased from supermarkets in six provinces of Turkey were collected at intervals between March 2007 and February 2008.Findings – The results showed that 1.9 percent of white cheese samples were contaminated with Salmonella spp, whereas the L. monocytogenes prevalence was 4.8 percent in this type of cheese sample. The prevalence of L. monocytogenes in processed cheese and kasar cheese were found to be 1.4 percent and 1.7 percent, respectively. No Salmonella spp. was isolated from these cheese varieties. Neither Salmonella spp. nor L. monocytogenes were found in dil cheese samples examined.Originality/value – Cheese is a ready to eat product that with a low incidence of contamination may pose great public health concerns. Microbiological...

Effects of slaughter age and gender on carcass characteristics of Turkish indigeneous Hair goat kids reared under an extensive production system

Abstract. This study was conducted to investigate effects of slaughter age and gender on carcass characteristics of indigenous Hair goat kids reared under an extensive production system. A total of 60 Hair goat kids (30 females and 30 males) slaughtered at 3, 6, 9 and 12 months of age was used as the material of this study. In the study, the cold carcass weights of kids at 3–12 months of age were between 6.15 and 10.83 kg. The cold dressing percentage was determined as 47.04–52.65 %. The effect of slaughter age on these traits was statistically significant (P