Inhibition of Salmonella growth in exudates drained from poultry meat by bacteriophage cocktail-containing absorbent food pad

Abstract

Absorbent food pads are commonly used to absorb exudate drained from food to maintain initial food quality throughout shelf life. However, the absorbed exudate often serves as a nutrient for contaminating pathogens in the pads, requiring appropriate antimicrobial strategies. Here, we developed bacteriophage cocktail-containing absorbent food pads, called phage pads, by impregnating commercial absorbent food pads with a phage cocktail consisting of two Salmonella phages, ФYMFM0293 and ФYMFM0433, followed by air drying for 14 h. The prepared phage pad demonstrated reliable phage titers and water absorbing capacity, and its anti-Salmonella activity was maintained for 84 days under simulated storage conditions. Consistent with the efficient inhibition of in vitro Salmonella growth by the phage cocktail, Salmonella spiked directly on the phage pad at ∼7-log CFU/pad was significantly suppressed for 48 h at 4 °C. When Salmonella-contaminated chicken meat was loaded, Salmonella loads below the detection limit were achieved within the phage pad, in contrast to the control pad, throughout 7 days of refrigerated storage. Considering its stable long-term activity and efficient reduction of specific foodborne pathogens in food exudates, the phage cocktail-containing absorbent food pads could be an effective antibacterial strategy to ensure microbial safety during food distribution to consumers.

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