Thermal survival patterns of Staphylococcus aureus in sous vide seabream treated with quince leaf extract

Staphylococcus aureus is a major cause of gastroenteritis, commonly associated with the consumption of food contaminated at any stage of the food supply chain. Sous vide seafood has the potential to be a vehicle for the spread of S. aureus and enterotoxins due to low temperature cooking. This study aimed to investigate the antimicrobial activity of quince leaf extracts and the impact on the survival of S. aureus during sous vide process at frequently utilized temperatures. The results of the disk diffusion assay demonstrated the antibacterial efficiencies of extracts obtained using ethanol and methanol, with inhibition zone diameters of 9.8 and 11.2 mm, respectively. In contrast, aqueous extract had no effect on the bacteria. Since methanolic extract was the most effective one, phenolic profile was analyzed. Quercetin-3-O-rutinoside was the major compound (43.0 %) followed by 3-O-caffeoylquinic acid (21.8 %). Quince leaf methanolic extract (QM) was added to seabream to examine the thermal inactivation kinetics of S. aureus. The D values of QM-treated group ranged from 9.80 and 0.39 min, while those of the untreated samples varied between 11.36 and 0.51 min at 56-62 °C. The addition of QM to sous vide seabream significantly reduced the time needed to inactivate S. aureus. The z values of S. aureus in QM and untreated groups were 4.19 and 4.32 °C, respectively. Beneficial results could be achieved by adding quince extracts thereby; reducing S. aureus in sous vide fish and enhancing food safety. Developing efficient thermal processing techniques and combining additional hurdles are promising strategies for accomplishing pathogen inhibition.