This study aims to assess the occurrence of Staphylococcus aureus in chicken fillets and to control its growth using various lyophilized seaweed extracts (i.e., Halimeda opuntia (HO), Actinotrichia fragilis, and Turbinaria turbinata) by an agar disk diffusion assay in vitro. Results showed that prevalence of S. aureus in breast and thigh samples reached of 92% and 84%, respectively. Lyophilized HO extract was the only seaweed that showed the antibacterial activity against S aureus with a significant difference at p < 0.05. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of HO extract was 1.5%, with an inhibition zone of 8.16 ± 0.73 mm. Regarding 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging activity, IC₅₀ was recorded at 55.36 μg/mL, whereas cytotoxic IC₅₀ of the lyophilized HO extract on peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) was 33.7 µg/mL; a higher IC₅₀ of HO extracts permits their use as a safe food additive in meat products. Moreover, total phenolic compounds and total flavonoids compounds recorded 20.36 ± 0.092 and 16.59 ± 0.029 mg/mL, respectively. HPLC analyses of phenolic compounds profiles exhibited many bioactive substances and the higher ratio was daidzein with 10.84 ± 0.005 µg/mL and followed by gallic acid with a value of 4.06 ± 0.006 µg/mL. In a challenge study, chicken fillet (CHF) experimentally inoculated with S. aureus (ST) and treated with the lyophilized HO algal extract at 4% and 6% (CHF/ST/HO) showed a complete reduction of S. aureus count on the 6th and 4th days in chicken fillet stored at 4 °C, respectively. Moreover, CHF/ST/HO at 4% and 6% of HO extract enhanced the sensory attributes of grilled un-inoculated chicken fillet. Thus, lyophilized HO extracts are promising antibacterial and antioxidant candidates in the chicken meat industry.

Aflatoxins (AFs) are the most detrimental mycotoxin, potentially hazardous to animals and humans. AFs in food threaten the health of consumers and cause liver cancer. Therefore, a safe, efficient, and friendly approach is attributed to the control of aflatoxicosis. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the impacts of Chlorella vulgaris (CLV) on hepatic aflatoxicosis, aflatoxin residues, and meat quality in quails. Quails were allocated into a control group; the CLV group received CLV (1 g/kg diet); the AF group received an AF-contaminated diet (50 ppb); and the AF+CLV group received both treatments. The results revealed that AF decreased the growth performance and caused a hepatic injury, exhibited as an increase in liver enzymes and disrupted lipid metabolism. In addition, AF induced oxidative stress, exhibited by a dramatic increase in the malondialdehyde (MDA) level and decreases in glutathione (GSH) level, superoxide dismutase (SOD), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activities. Significant up-regulation in the inflammatory cytokine (TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6) mRNA expression was also documented. Moreover, aflatoxin residues were detected in the liver and meat with an elevation of fat% alongside a decrease in meat protein%. On the other hand, CLV supplementation ameliorated AF-induced oxidative stress and inflammatory condition in addition to improving the nutritional value of meat and significantly reducing AF residues. CLV mitigated AF-induced hepatic damage, decreased growth performance, and lowered meat quality via its antioxidant and nutritional constituents.

A total of 90 random sample of fresh and cooked meat (boiled) (45 of each) were collected from university student hostel, and examined bacteriologically to detect its safety. Aerobic plate count (APC), Staphylococcal counts and Coliforms count were examined, Isolation and identification to E.coli. The obtained results in this study indicated that the mean value of APC was 6.32×105± 1.17×105 cfu/g for fresh meat and 1.08×105± 0.24×105 cfu/g for cooked meat; furthermore APC was detected in 75.5% in fresh meat according to EOS (2008) and 86.7% in cooked meat according to Center for Food Safety 2014. The obtained results indicated that the mean values of Staphylococcal count and coliforms in examined samples were 1.10×103± 0.21×103 and 9.95×103± 2.03×103 (cfu/g) for fresh meat and 7.78×102± 1.64×102 and 2.14×103± 0.51×103 (cfu/g) for cooked meat. Incidence of E.coli from fresh meat was 28.9% and 24.4% from cooked meat. These results indicate that fresh meat had higher significant results than cooked meat due to cooked meat were subjected to heat treatment that lead to killing of microorganisms, moreover, presence of E.coli in cooked meat indicated post heat treatment infection.

Food safety is the major issue in the food industry. Curcumin is a natural antimicrobial that has nutritional and health benefits. Nanotechnology can improve its bioavailability and application in food. Thus, this study was designed to evaluate the antimicrobial effect of nano-curcumin on some food poisoning bacteria, especially those of zoonotic importance, such as Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Bacillus cereus, in vitro and inoculated in chilled chicken kofta. Nano-curcumin showed antimicrobial effects on the microbes under study in vitro, which were confirmed using transmission electron microscopy (TEM).The microbiological quality and physicochemical and sensory attributes of chilled chicken kofta was evaluated at 4°C for 27 days. Nano-curcumin reduced the count of E. coli from 5.73 to 1.09 log cfu/g, the count of S. aureus from 5.73 to 1.02 log cfu/g, and the count of B. cereus count from 5.87 to 3.13 log cfu/g. Nano-curcumin increased PH, TBA and TVB-N values over the storage period. Moreover, it enhanced the sensory attributes and shelf life of chicken kofta until the 27^th day of storage. Nano-curcumin is considered a novel antimicrobial and antioxidant agent for meat products.