Thermal inactivation of Salmonella senftenberg and Listeria innocua in ground chicken breast patties processed in an air convection oven

Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville 72701, USA. rymurph@comp.uark.edu

Ground chicken breast patties were thermally processed in a lab-scale air convection oven at air temperatures of 163, 177, 190, 204, or 218 C to final patty center temperatures of 50, 55, 60, 65, 70, 75, or 80 C. The cooking time increased with increasing product temperature and decreased with increasing oven air temperature. Prior to thermal processing, approximately 7 log10(cfu/g) of Salmonella senftenberg and Listeria innocua were inoculated into the chicken patties. Survival of S. senftenberg and L. innocua decreased with increasing patty temperature. After the patties were processed to a final center temperature of 70 to 80 C, 1 to 4 log10 (cfu/g) of S. senftenberg and 3 to 5 log10(cfu/g) of L. innocua were detected in the cooked patties. A significant difference in the thermal inactivation of S. senftenberg and L. innocua was obtained between the chicken patties cooked in an air convection oven and the patties cooked in a water bath. More surviving S. senftenberg and L. innocua were found in the patties cooked in an air convection oven than in the patties cooked in a water bath.