EFFECT OF Ε-POLY-LYSINE TO EXTEND THE SHELF LIFE OF READY-TO-EAT TURKEY BREAST

Background and Aim:As regards food recognized as an important carrier of the pathogens in the world and also there are major concerns about the increasing use of chemical preservatives in the food industry, discovering of non-synthetic antimicrobial compounds is one of the interesting topics in the food industries. This study was conducted to investigate the effect of ε-poly-lysine to extend the shelf life of ready-to-eat turkey breast.Methods:. For this purpose, turkey breast was injected with curing solution and tumbled in two stages. After full cooking, samples were prepared. Treatment samples were immersed in a 1% or 10000 ppm of ε-poly-lysine solution and control samples were immersed in sterile distilled water for one minute. Then all samples were vacuum packed and stored at 8±1◦C (similar to supermarket refrigerator temperature) for 42 days. Microbial properties were determined, with 7 days interval.Results:Results related to the effectiveness of ε-poly-lysine showed that in control group during 42 days, number (log CFU/g) of mold and yeast, coliform, mesophilic, psychrophilic, anaerobic and lactic acid bacteria increased 3.3, 3.12, 6.79, 5.28, 5.04 and 7.02, respectively. Whereas in samples treated with ε-poly-lysine solution number (log CFU/g) of mold and yeast, coliform, mesophilic, psychrophilic, anaerobic and lactic acid bacteria increased 2.36, 1.26, 5.53, 3.80, 3.31 and 4.14, respectively. Staphylococcus aureus was not found in any of treated and control samples.Conclusion:The results of this study showed that poly-lysine properly improved the microbiological quality of vacuum cured turkey breast during cold storage and extended its shelf life compared with untreated sample.

Keywords:

Vacuum Packaging , Poly-Lysine , Turkey breast , Shelf Life