Survival of Listeria monocytogenes on Processed Poultry

The potential for Listeria monocytogenes to survive and proliferate on processed poultry was investigated. Chicken breasts were inoculated with L. monocytogenes, cooked to one of five different internal temperatures, then either vacuum-packaged or wrapped in an oxygen permeable film and stored for up to four wk at 4^oC and 10^oC. Survivors were encountered at each cooking temperature employed. The magnitude of lethality was directly related to the cooking temperature. No significant increase in microbial populations occurred through 2 wk of storage. Bacterial populations in samples that were overwrapped increased significantly by week 4, except for the 160^oF (71.1^oC) treatment. For samples which were vacuum-packaged, only the bacterial population in the 150^oF (65.6^oC) treatment significantly increased. Differences due to packaging were observed at 4^oC storage but not at 10^oC storage.