Persistence of Salmonella Spp. on Chicken Skin after Exposure to an Italian Marinade*

A series of experiments with chicken skin was undertaken to determine the effect of an Italian marinade on persistence of Salmonella spp. during refrigerated storage and marinating. Chicken skin was inoculated with 0.4 to 3.7 log of multiple antibiotic resistant strains of Salmonella Typhimurium (n = 3), Kentucky (n = 1) or Hadar (n = 1). Chicken skin was then exposed to the Italian marinade for 4 or 24 h at 6C to simulate normal marinating conditions of consumers. The persistence of Salmonella spp. on chicken skin was reduced (P < 0.05) by the Italian marinade with a greater reduction observed at 24 h than at 4 h of marinating. As expected, the persistence during marinating increased as a function of the initial number of Salmonella inoculated. In general, the effect of the Italian marinade on persistence was similar among the five strains of Salmonella tested. *Mention of trade names or commercial products in this publication is solely for providing specific information and does not imply recommendation or endorsement by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Corresponding author. TEL: 410-651-6062; FAX: 410-651-8498; EMAIL: thomas.oscar@ars.