Liquid smoke was evaluated for its effect on the growth and survival of
Staphylococcus aureus artificially inoculated into chicken breast. Fresh chicken breast
samples were dipped in Tryptic Soya broth containing ~ 10
6
cfu/ml (6 log cfu/g) of
Staphylococcus aureus and left for 30 min. at room temperature (25
ο
C) to allow
attachment and absorption of bacteria.. Initial count of Staphylococcus aureus in
chicken breast samples immediately after inoculation was 7.66 log cfu/g. Inoculated
chicken breast samples (25
ο
C) were dipped in liquid smoke 1%, 3% and 5% for 10,
20 and 30 minutes. Sensory evaluation (color, odor and texture) was conducted every
day (24 hrs), while Staph. aureus count was conducted every 48 hrs during cold
storage at 4°C. Initial counts of Staphylococcus aureus in chicken breast samples
decreased following dipping in liquid smoke 1%, 3% and 5% for 30 min. by 0.58 log
cfu/g (7.57%), 2.57 log cfu/g (33.55%) and 3.20 log cfu/g (41.78%) in the 1
st
, 5
th
and
11
th
days, respectively. In addition, no significant differences (P