Influence of X-ray irradiation on quality and core microbiological characteristics of chilled chicken meat

The current work provided multiple insights into the physicochemical and microbial intervention effects of X-ray exposure (0–2 kGy) on chilled chicken breast preservation. The quality indicators of irradiated meat, including color, texture and sensory properties were efficiently elevated, by examining the changes of relatively retarded microbial counts, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and total volatile basic nitrogen contents (TVB-N) during storage. Increasing doses accelerated accumulation of hexanal and 1,3-bis (1,1 dimethylethyl)- benzene from amino acid/lipids-derived oxidation, which affected the sensory attributes of irradiated chilled chicken breast. Additionally, X-ray irradiation both reduced bacterial diversity and altered microflora structure with sharp decrease in Firmicutes. Acinetobacter and Psychrobacter were relatively more radiation resistant. The growth of Brochothrix, Carnobacterium, Lactococcus, Enterococcus, and Vagococcus was effectively suppressed during the storage of irradiated meat, while the growth of Pseudomonas was not. Redundancy analysis (RDA) and Spearman's correlation analysis further elucidated the involvement of Acinetobacter, Brochothrix and Pseudomonas in degradation of hardness, TVB-N, and TBARS, as well as the accumulation of 1−pentanol, 2−pentanone and acetoin in the meat by affecting lipid and glucose metabolism. These results highlighted the key roles of microbiota of chilled chicken meat in modulating physicochemical properties of irradiated meat. Collectively, the recommended dose of 2.00 kGy extended the shelf life of chilled chicken breast to day 6, which is twice as long as that of the control group.