Ozone Decontamination of Poultry Meat and Biogenic Amines as Quality Index

Abstract To assure food safety in poultry meat the European Regulation does not authorize any decontamination treatment. Ozone has a strong oxidizing nature that makes it a useful tool for the inactivation of microorganisms. Aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of an experimental ozone gaseous treatment and production of the biogenic amines putrescine and cadaverine, as freshness index, during the storage of chilled poultry carcasses. Amines were extracted with perchloric acid, derivative with dansyl chloride, separated using a reversed- phase high-performance liquid chromatographic method, and detected by fluorescence. The results showed a reduction of microbial contamination as effect of the experimental ozone treatment of carcasses. In simply chilled poultry meat (Lot C control) a significant increases of putrescine and cadaverine at 15th days of storage. At 20t day higher levels of putrescine (53,63 mg/kg) and cadaverine (175,20 mg/kg) occurred in Lot C than in treated poultry meat of Lot A. Ozone decontamination resulted in lower levels of putrescine (32,37 mg/kg) and cadaverine (132,30 mg/kg), and in Lot A the shelf life was 6 days longer than in Lot C. If authorized, an ozone treatment during the storage of chilled poultry meat can induce a reduction of microbial contamination. Putrescine and cadaverine levels appeared to be useful to control the effectiveness of the ozone treatment on meat quality, and may be useful as quality index to highlight the loss of poultry meat freshness, before sensorial meat changes during storage of chilled poultry meat.