Combined effects of thymol, carvacrol and temperature on the quality of non conventional poultry patties

The combined effect of thymol (0–300 ppm), carvacrol (0–300 ppm), and temperature (0–18 °C) on the quality of non conventional poultry patties packaged in air and modified atmosphere (MAP: 40% CO_2; 30%O₂; 30% N₂) was investigated using a simplex centroid mixture design. The patties were monitored for microbiological (total viable count, Enterobacteriaceae, lactic acid bacteria, Pseudomonas spp.) physico-chemical (pH, colour) and sensory attributes. For the patties mixed with the antimicrobials and stored at low temperature (0–3 °C) a reduction of the cell load of about 1–1.5 log cfu/g was observed. The log reduction was lower at the end of storage time and decreased with the increase of the temperature. For the poultry patties packaged in MAP the higher log reduction for Pseudomonas spp. during all the storage time was observed. In both packaging atmospheres the combination of the essential oils and low temperature determined no modification for off-odour during the first 4 days of storage.