Microbiological quality of cooked chicken breasts containing commercially available shelf-life extenders

Experiments were conducted to determine the effect of various shelf-life extenders on the aerobic plate counts (APC) of cooked chicken breast meat stored at refrigeration temperatures. Fresh chicken breast meat obtained from local grocers was injected with either 0.5, 1, 1.5, or 2% sodium lactate; 0.63, 1.25, 1.88, or 2.51 g/kg of a liquid smoke flavoring; 0.33, 0.66, 1, or 1.33% Per/Lac(R) 1901, a fermented whey product; or 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, or 1% Alta(R) 2341, a fermented corn syrup product. The samples were cooked at 85 C dry bulb, 77.8 C wet bulb to an internal temperature of 76.7 C. The cooked chicken breasts were cut into 20-g samples and aseptically placed into Ziploc(R) bags. Initial APC were enumerated following 2-d incubation at 30 C. Additional stored samples (2 C) were subsequently evaluated for APC every week for 5 wk. Only one of the four ingredients, Alta(R) 2341, significantly extended cooked breast meat shelf-life over that of the controls. Using Alta(R) 2341 would be beneficial in extending the refrigerated shelf-life of cooked chicken breast meat up to 5 wk.