Growth and Survival of Salmonella serovar Typhimurium on Chicken Wings, Following Stress Abiotic Adaptation

Abstract

Salmonella Typhimurium (ST) remains one of the most important foodborne pathogens associated with poultry products and can be exposed to multiple environmental stresses during poultry processing, storage, and distribution. Exposure to acid, cold, and heat stress may alter the subsequent growth, survival, and response of ST to antimicrobial treatments. In addition, the growth of native microbiota during storage contributes to product spoilage and shelf-life reduction. This study evaluated the impact of acid-, cold-, and heat-stress on the growth and survival kinetics of ST in chicken wings under refrigerated and temperature abuse conditions. Native microbiota growth was also investigated to assess microbial spoilage and shelf-life implications. Furthermore, the influence of prior stress exposure on the efficacy of antimicrobial treatments with itaconic acid (IA) and peracetic acid (PAA) was determined. Heat-, cold-, and acid-stressed ST cells were generated under laboratory conditions and compared with unstressed cells. Mathematical models were used to describe bacterial growth, survival, and inactivation kinetics. The results demonstrated that temperature abuse accelerated the growth of native microbiota, reducing the microbiological shelf life of chicken wings. Prior stress exposure influenced the behavior of ST during storage, with cold-stressed cells exhibiting enhanced survival under refrigerated conditions and heatstressed cells showing improved persistence under moderate temperature abuse conditions. In antimicrobial studies, PAA exhibited the greatest inactivation capacity, whereas IA showed a concentration-dependent effect, with 4% IA producing greater reductions than 2% IA. The response to both antimicrobial treatments differed among acid-stressed, cold-stressed, heat-stressed, and unstressed cells. These findings demonstrate that prior stress exposure influences the behavior of ST during storage and antimicrobial treatment and highlight the importance of considering bacterial stress history and native microbiota dynamics when evaluating poultry product safety and shelf life.