Decontamination of chicken frankfurters with pulsed UV-light

The effectiveness of pulsed UV-light on the microbial load and quality of unpackaged and vacuum-packaged chicken frankfurters was investigated. Samples inoculated with Listeria monocytogenes Scoff A on top surfaces were treated with pulsed UV-light for 5, 15, 30, 45, and 60 seconds at 5, 8, and 13 cm distance from the quartz window in a pulsed UV-light chamber. Log reductions (CFU/cm ²) of unpackaged samples were between 0.3 and 1.9 after 5-s treatment at 13 cm (mild) and 60-s treatment at 5 cm (extreme), respectively. Log reductions (CFU/cm²) on vacuum-packaged samples ranged from 0.1 to 1.9 after mild and extreme treatments, respectively. The extent of lipid peroxidation and color were determined by thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) test and CIELAB color method, respectively. Lipid peroxidation of samples did not change significantly (p>0.05) after mild and moderate (30-s treatment at 8 cm) treatments. Significant differences (p<0.05) in color parameters were observed after treatments of both unpackaged and vacuum-packaged samples. Packaging material was also analyzed for elastic modulus as a mechanical property. The elastic modulus did not change significantly (p>0.05) after mild treatment. Overall, this study demonstrated that pulsed UV-light has a potential to decontaminate ready-to-eat (RTE) poultry-based food products.