Studies were performed to determine the effect of color
modification procedures on the microbial characteristics of
turkey thigh meat. Turkey thighs were flaked and then color modified
successively with three sodium phosphate buffers (pH
5.8, 7.4, and 8.0). At selected time intervals, flaked
unwashed turkey (FUT; control) and color—modified turkey
(CMT) stored at 3°C were analyzed for aerobic,
psychrotrophic, and coliform bacterial counts. Aerobic and
psychrotrophic numbers also were estimated in raw tissues
held at -20°C. Cooked FUT and CMT were inoculated with two strain
composites of either Salmonella or Listeria
monocytogenes and held at 4 and 20OC. Salmonella
enteritidis, Salmonella typhimurium, Q. monocytogenes Scott
A, and a Q. monocytogenes meat isolate were organisms used in
the inoculation studies. Aerobic and psychrotrophic counts
were not different (p >0.05) at any sampling interval when
numbers in raw EUT were compared to those in raw CMT.
Coliform counts in raw FUT did not differ from those in raw
CMT (p >0.05) after l day at 3°C. In inoculation studies, numbers of either pathogen generally did not differ (p >0.05) I
between cooked FUT and CMT at selected sampling intervals.
Salmonella counts declined gradually in cooked samples held
at 4°C. By day 3, Salmonella levels increased more than 6
logs in tissues held at 20°C. L. monocytogenes counts
increased approximately 5 logs in cooked FUT and CMT held at
4°C for 14 days. Numbers increased more than 5 logs in
samples stored at 20°C for 48 hr. Although a significant (p
<0.05) factor in some studies, color modification was not
considered to have a major effect on microbial growth in
altered thigh.
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