Development of antimicrobial coatings for improving the microbiological safety and quality of shell eggs

This study was conducted to develop antimicrobial coatings to decontaminate and prevent cross-contamination of shell eggs. Egg shells were inoculated with nalidixic acid-resistant Salmonella enterica Enteritidis strains OB030832, OB040159, and C405 and treated with antimicrobial coatings. Polylactic acid served as a nonedible polymer, and chitosan served as an edible polymer carrier of natural antimicrobials, including nisin, allyl isothiocyanate (AIT), lauric arginate ester (LAE), and organic acids. Increases of AIT concentrations or addition of nisin to AIT in either the polylactic acid or chitosan coating solutions resulted in greater reductions of Salmonella. Chitosan coatings with 0.1, 0.5, and 1.0% LAE reduced Salmonella by 1.7, 2.5, and 5.2 log CFU/cm(2), respectively. Shell eggs treated with 1.0 and 0.5% LAE in chitosan coatings had nondetectable Salmonella cells (< 0.5 log CFU/cm(2)) after 3 and 7 days of storage at 7°C, respectively, and no outgrowth was observed up to 28 days. Coating treatments significantly reduced weight loss of shell eggs during 12 weeks of storage at 7 or 4°C. This study demonstrates an alternative and effective intervention technology for decontaminating shell eggs and provides an alternative approach to reduce possible recalls and outbreaks associated with pathogen contamination on shell eggs and in egg products.