High oxygen-modified atmosphere packaging induces a viable but non-culturable state of Campylobacter jejuni in chicken meat

Abstract

The high oxygen conditions (80% oxygen and 20% carbon dioxide) of oxygen-modified atmosphere packaging (high O₂ MAP) maintain the quality of meat. This study investigates the cultivability and viability of Campylobacter jejuni in a high O₂ MAP environment, with different strains investigated to examine whether cultivability is affected by aerotolerance. C. jejuni strains spiked chicken meat was exposed to high O₂ MAP and assessed using culture and viability-digital PCR. The results indicated suppression of the cultivability of C. jejuni under high O₂ MAP conditions, with evidence suggesting that this may not be due to aerotolerance. However, the viability of C. jejuni was not affected, indicating that bacterial cells might have been induced to a viable but non-culturable state.