Microbial variation and shelf life of chicken breast fillets: a year-long study across two European producers

Despite extensive research on poultry spoilage, variability across batches, seasons, and facilities remains poorly resolved. This limits the ability to determine whether microbiological data can be used to predict sensory shelf life at the batch level, and thereby support adaptive, data-driven shelf-life determination. This study examined how initial microbial status, growth dynamics, microbiota composition, and sensory changes varied in modified atmosphere packed (MAP) chicken breast fillets from two European producers (A, Norway; B, Portugal) sampled over one year. Fillets were analysed after production and during storage at 4 °C or under a 4 to 8 °C temperature shift. Initial total viable counts (TVC) were lower in fillets from Producer A than B, but both producers showed approximately 2-log variation between batches. Maximum growth rates were similar, but fillets from Producer B showed consistently shorter lag times, reaching 7 log10 CFU/g earlier. Lag time was the primary determinant of shelf-life variation, whereas initial aerobic TVC had limited predictive value. During late storage, microbiota communities converged toward producer-specific spoiler profiles that were stable across batches (A: Lactobacillales, Hafnia_Obesumbacterium; B: Brochothrix, Yersiniaceae). Sensory deterioration correlated with TVC and was accelerated but not qualitatively altered by elevated temperature. Overall, initial aerobic TVC was not a reliable predictor of batch-specific shelf life; instead, early measurements that enable estimation of batch-specific lag time (i.e., the fraction of bacteria able to grow in the product) may provide an actionable basis for adaptive shelf-life setting within producers.

Palavras-chave

SSpoilage microbiota Sensory quality Lag phase Shelf-life prediction

URI

http://hdl.handle.net/10400.14/58630

Editora

SSRN

DOI

10.2139/ssrn.6869331

Coleções

CBQF - Working Papers / Preprints

Licença CC

Sem licença CC

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