The Development of Predictive Growth Models for Total Viable Cells and Escherichia coli on Chicken Breast as a Function of Temperature

The aim of this research was to estimate the effect of temperature and develop predictive models for the growth of total viable cells (TVC) and Escherichia coli (EC) on chicken breast under aerobic and various temperature conditions. The primary models were determined by Baranyi model. The secondary models for the specific growth rate (SGR) and lag time (LT), as a function of storage temperature, were developed by the polynomial model. The initial contamination level of chicken breasts was around 4.3 Log CFU/g of TVC and 1.0 Log CFU/g of E. coli. During 216 h of storage, SGR of TVC showed 0.05, 0.15, and 0.54 Log CFU/g/h at 5, 15, and $25^{\circ}C$. Also, the growth tendency of EC was similar to those of TVC. As storage temperature increased, the values of SGR of microorganisms increased dramatically and the values of LT decreased inversely. The predicted growth models with experimental data were evaluated by $B_f$, $A_f$, RMSE, and $R^2$. These values indicated that these developed models were reliable to express the growth of TVC and EC on chicken breasts. The temperature changes of distribution and showcase in markets might affect the growth of microorganisms and spoilage of chicken breast mainly.