Gamma Ray Processing to Destroy Staphylococcus aureus in Mechanically Deboned Chicken Meat

Gamma radiation doses of 0.26 kGy and 0.36 kGy, administered in vacuo at 0°C, destroyed 90% of log‐phase and stationary‐phase colony forming units (CFU) of Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 13565 (FDA 196E), respectively, in mechanically deboned chicken meat (MDCM). Samples inoculated with 10 3.9 CFU/g of S. aureus were treated with gamma radiation in vacuo at 0°C and then held for 20 hr at 35°C (abusive storage). Viable CFU were found in samples irradiated to 0.75 kGy but not in those irradiated to 1.50 kGy either before or after storage. Enterotoxin was not detected in irradiated MDCM. A predictive equation was developed for the response of S. aureus in MDCM to radiation dose and irradiation temperature.