Antimicrobial effect of linalool and eugenol added to plum-sour sauce-based marinade to control the spoilage of chicken breast fillets stored in a vacuum package

In this study, the in vitro and ex situ antimicrobial effects of linalool and eugenol added to a plum-sour sauce-based marinade were investigated in order to control the spoilage of chicken breast fillets stored in vacuum packaging. In the first part of the study, the in vitro antimicrobial activities of linalool and eugenol against eight foodborne pathogenic bacteria were determined using disc diffusion and resazurin-broth microdilution methods. The results showed that Yersinia enterocolitica ATCC 27729 was the most sensitive strain to both active essential oil components, while Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 35032 was the most resistant strain. In the second part of the study, chicken breast fillets were used as model food for ex situ applications of linalool and eugenol. The antimicrobial effects of two different concentrations (0.15% and 0.30%) of linalool and eugenol added to marinated chicken breast fillets stored at 4 °C for 9 days under vacuum packaging conditions were investigated. The pH values and microbiological quality (total aerobic mesophyll bacteria (TAMB), Pseudomonas spp., lactic acid bacteria (LAB), total coliforms, and yeast and mold) of the samples were examined on days 0, 3, 6, and 9 of the storage period. The data indicated that TAMB and Pseudomonas spp. were the most dominant microorganisms in chicken samples. Additionally, it was determined that the usage of active essential oil components delayed the growth of spoilage microorganisms and reduced the number of TAMB and Pseudomonas spp. on the 9th day of storage in comparison to the control sample by 0.95-2.19 log units and 0.75-2.10 log units, respectively (p<.000). The number of LABs in all experimental groups decreased by 0.79-1.68 log units on the 9th day of storage compared to the control sample (p<.000). Yeast count decreased significantly in the experimental groups containing eugenol compared to the control and other groups on the last day of storage (p<.000). The sensory properties of the control and experimental groups were also analyzed based on six sensory attributes: taste, smell, aroma, flavor, color, softness, juiciness, and general acceptability. The findings demonstrated that the application of active essential oil components to chicken breast fillets gave the product a different aroma and flavor and that the samples containing eugenol had a higher score for consumer acceptance compared with the samples containing linalool.