Effects of alginate coating incorporated with Bunium persicum essential oil and Lactoperoxidase system on inoculated Listeria monocytogenes in chicken breast fillets

The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of alginate coating incorporated with Bunium persicum essential oil (BPEO) and Lactoperoxidase system (LPOS) individually and in combination to control the growth of inoculated Listeria monocytogenes in fresh chicken breast stored at 4±1°C.
In vitro antibacterial activity of L. monocytogenes was evaluated using the microdilution method. Chicken breast fillets were inoculated with a cocktail of L. monocytogenes culture, treated with BPEO (0.5 and 1% w/v) and LPOS (5% v/v) as natural antimicrobials, and counted during 20 days of storage at 4±1°C. The data were analyzed in SPSS software (Version 21) through repeated measure ANOVA followed by Bonferroni post- hoc tests. P-value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant.
Both individual and combinational use of BPEO and LPOS could significantly inhibit the growth of inoculated L. monocytogenes. However, the combinational use of them had higher effects, compared to control. The results also indicated that the application of alginate coating with no antimicrobial agent significantly supported the growth of inoculated L. monocytogenes on chicken breast samples at 4±1°C.
The combinational use of BPEO and LPOS can be practically applied to food systems, especially in the meat industry to ensure the safety of the product.