Journal of Agriculture and Food Science

Objective Additives such as preservatives and acidity regulators in seasoned meat products may inhibit microbial growth, potentially leading to inaccurate test results based on 《GB 4789.2-2022》. This study aimed to compare the effects of three pretreatment methods on the detection results of total viable count (TVC) in seasoned meat products, providing a basis for establishing a more accurate detection protocol. Methods Commercial pre-seasoned black pepper-flavored chicken breast was used as the test material. A mixed bacterial suspension of Escherichia coli ATCC 25922 and Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 6538 was artificially inoculated. Three pretreatment methods were applied: the national standard method (Method A: homogenization with sterile saline), the national standard method with neutralizer (Method B: homogenization with neutralizer-containing diluent), and the homogenization-washing-centrifugation method (Method C). Colony counting was performed according to 《GB 4789.2-2022》. Results The detection result of Method A was significantly lower than those of the other two methods (P < 0.05), with a recovery rate of only 62.4% and colonies appearing smaller and uneven in size. Method B significantly improved the recovery rate to 89.7%, with colonies appearing plump and uniform in size. Method C achieved the highest recovery rate (95.3%), but the procedure was more cumbersome. Conclusion The conventional national standard method tends to yield underestimated results for seasoned meat products due to additive inhibition. Adding a broad-spectrum neutralizer during sample homogenization (Method B) is an efficient, accurate, and practical optimization strategy, recommended as the standard pretreatment method for TVC detection in such products.

Seasoned meat products; Total viable count; Pretreatment; Neutralizer; 《GB 4789.2-2022》; Accuracy