Survival of Listeria monocytogenes on Processed Poultry

The potential for Listeria monocytogenes to survive and proliferate on processed poultry was investigated. Chicken breasts were inoculated with L. monocytogenes , cooked to one of five different internal temperatures, then either vacuum‐packaged or wrapped in an oxygen permeable film and stored for up to four wk at 4 o C and 10 o C. Survivors were encountered at each cooking temperature employed. The magnitude of lethality was directly related to the cooking temperature. No significant increase in microbial populations occurred through 2 wk of storage. Bacterial populations in samples that were overwrapped increased significantly by week 4, except for the 160 o F (71.1 o C) treatment. For samples which were vacuum‐packaged, only the bacterial population in the 150 o F (65.6 o C) treatment significantly increased. Differences due to packaging were observed at 4 o C storage but not at 10 o C storage.