Chicken breasts packaged under different gas compositions reveal distinct microbial communities and olfactive characteristics

Description

Introduction: When the appropriate gascomposition is selected, modified atmosphere packaging can be useful in delayingthe growth of food spoilage organisms, and, consequently, increasing the shelf lifeof products and reducing food waste. Purpose: To assess the impact of twopackaging atmospheres on the microbial load, microbiota and odour of rawchicken breasts. Methods: Chicken breasts packaged under high oxygenconditions (55-70% O2, 20-30% CO2) and under high carbon dioxide conditions(50-55% CO2, 45-50% N2) were received and stored at 4 ºC (day 0). At specifictimes, total viable counts (TVC) were enumerated on plate count agar and DNAextraction was conducted (Qiagen DNeasy PowerLyzer Powersoil kit). Microbialcommunity analysis was performed (EMP 16S Illumina Amplicon Protocol V.2) andolfactory evaluation of the samples was conducted by semi-trained panellists.Results: After 15 days of storage, the TVC were higher in O2-packaged chickenbreasts (8.6 vs. 8.1 log CFU/g for CO2 packaging). Additionally, 16S sequencingshowed a shift in the microbial communities due to the different packagingconditions. In high O2 packaging, the microbiota was dominated by Brochothrixspp. Under high CO2 packaging, this genus was somewhat supressed, and therelative abundance of Lactobacillales (often C. divergens), Lactococcus spp. andLactobacillus spp. increased. The distinct atmospheres appeared to have a strong influence on the odour of the chicken breasts, as revealed by sensory analysis.Under high O2 atmosphere, the odour intensity was low and stable betweenstorage days 0 and 7, increasing considerably after day 11, when cloying andsulphur compounds became prominent. For the high CO2 packaging, low odourintensity was identified between days 0 and 12, and the degradation-indicativeattributes were perceived only after day 19. Significance: CO2 packaging providesa longer perception of freshness, which may be a valuable outcome for extendingthe shelf life of this product and reducing food waste.

Period	May 2025
Event title	2025 IAFP European Symposium
Event type	Conference
Location	Madrid, SpainShow on map