The study aimed to assess the relative effectiveness of selective media for isolating Campylobacter species, a foodborne pathogen commonly associated with poultry. Poultry rinsates were inoculated with C. jejuni, C. coli, or C. lari and enriched in 2 × Blood Free Bolton Broth for 20 h at 42 °C under microaerophilic conditions. Enriched samples were spread-plated on Campy-Cefex, mCCDA, and TSA agar and incubated for 48 h under respective conditions. The library was constructed based on the V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene of the subsequent pooled colonies and was sequenced using an Illumina Miseq. The microbial composition was analyzed using 16S rRNA gene sequencing in QIIME2. Results indicated differences in microbial diversity and composition based on species and media. C. jejuni-inoculated rinsates showed the highest evenness and richness, followed by C. coli and C. lari (P < 0.05, Pielou's Evenness, Shannon's Entropy). C. jejuni-inoculated rinsates resulted in a high abundance of non-Campylobacter microbiota, including Lachsnospiraceae and Oscillospiraceae (P < 0.05, ANCOM). Meanwhile, Staphylococcus was significantly more abundant on TSA plates. mCCDA and Campy-Cefex media types did not result in significantly different microbial compositional profiles. The heightened microbial diversity observed in C. jejuni-inoculated rinsates suggests a distinct niche within the poultry environment compared to the other Campylobacter species. More so, microbial diversity and composition in enriched poultry rinsates appear to be influenced by the media used for isolation and the specific Campylobacter species present. The findings highlight the importance of selecting appropriate media for accurately assessing and isolating Campylobacter in poultry-related studies.

The accurate quantification of Campylobacter jejuni in poultry samples is critical for ensuring food safety and compliance with regulatory standards. This study evaluated the performance of three enrichment media—Mueller–Hinton Broth (MHB), Bolton’s Blood-Free Broth 2x (BFBB2x), and Buffered Peptone Water (BPW)—in supporting C. jejuni detection and quantification using the BAX^® Q7-RT PCR system and traditional plate count methods. Results demonstrated high reliability across all media types, with BFBB2x and MHB showing the strongest correlations (R² = 0.99) for the BAX^® system. BFBB2x exhibited the lowest RMSE (0.13), while MHB balanced precision (RMSE = 0.4) with sensitivity. For plate counts, MHB and BPW achieved the highest correlations (R² = 0.99) and precision (RMSE = 0.26), with MHB demonstrating the lowest detection limit (2.56 log₁₀ CFU/mL) compared to BFBB2x (2.93 log₁₀ CFU/mL) and BPW (3.31 log₁₀ CFU/mL). The findings underscore MHB’s robustness as an enrichment medium, offering consistent performance across both molecular and culture-based methods. The current study supports MHB as the more effective medium for the reliable and precise quantification of C. jejuni in poultry-associated matrices, highlighting its utility in minimizing contamination risks and enhancing food safety. Future research should explore its applicability in diverse poultry products and production environments.

Electron-beam (E-beam) irradiation is a non-thermal intervention with the potential to reduce microbial load and extend shelf-life in raw poultry products. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of E-beam irradiation doses on microbial load, color stability, and shelf-life parameters of tray packed chicken tenders stored under refrigerator conditions for 27 days. Across all sampling days, E-beam irradiation significantly reduced APC compared to the nonirradiated control (p < 0.05), with suppression of microbial growth persisting throughout refrigerated storage. By day 27, irradiated samples exhibited reductions of 2.90 to 5.90 Log CFU/g compared to the control. Enterobacteriaceae (EB) was largely undetectable in irradiated samples during early storage. At day 27, irradiated samples were significantly lower than control samples, indicating delay in microbial growth. E-beam irradiation consistently increased redness(a*) across storage days independent of dose, while changes in lightness (L*) and yellowness (b*) were minimal, time-dependent and largely remained within acceptable ranges for poultry meat. Ranges 1.5 and 2.5 kGy provided effective microbial suppression with minor impact on color. These findings demonstrate that E-beam irradiation has the ability to alter spoilage of refrigerated chicken tenders by reducing initial microbial load and delaying the onset of microbial growth, while maintaining acceptable color characteristics.

Peracetic acid (PAA) is a widespread antimicrobial in food processing, yet its efficacy could be influenced by biological and environmental factors. The combined impact of the interactions of such factors remains largely unexplored. This study evaluated the efficacy of PAA against Salmonella by determining the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) and minimum bactericidal concentrations (MBCs). Four Salmonella serovars (Enteritidis, Typhimurium, Newport, and Kentucky), represented by three strains each, were evaluated using a broth microdilution approach with inoculum levels ranging from 3 to 8 log₁₀ CFU/mL and temperatures of 4, 26, and 37 °C. Statistical analysis was conducted using cumulative link mixed effects models fitted to MIC and MBC responses. The present study shows that PAA efficacy has a complex function, which was modeled not only by a single factor, but after the interaction of bacterial load, temperature, and serovar. Bacterial concentration was a key factor determining susceptibility values, which highlighted the importance of this factor when designing interventions. Lower temperatures reduce PAA efficacy systematically (at 4 °C), which poses a significant challenge for interventions that use cold temperatures. Serovar differences were observed, which reinforces the evidence of uneven antimicrobial susceptibility among serovars. This study shows that probabilistic modeling could be a useful tool for decision making by providing benchmarks for optimizing PAA applications in either future research or industry applications. Ultimately, this work shows that PAA efficacy against Salmonella is variable but could be explained by the biological and environmental conditions encountered in food processing.