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Page No. : 79-81

ABSTRACT

The present study was undertaken to see the effect of freezing temperatures on the viability of C. perfringens in raw mutton and chicken at specific time. A remarkable reduction in C. perfringens count was observed following freezing at -20°C for 21 days. The mean viable count of raw mutton dropped from 5.571±0.27 log10 CFU/g to 2.093±0.15 log10 CFU/g in first seven days of storage at -20°C and subsequently to 0.589±0.07 log10 CFU/g on 21st day of storage. Of the eight positive raw mutton samples, four were found negative for the presence of C. perfringens when examined at the end of 21 days preservation at -20°C. The mean viable count of raw chicken samples also decreased from 5.146±0.37 log10 CFU/g to 2.433±0.08 log10 CFU/g in first 7 days and finally to 0.369±0.23 log10 CFU/g on 21st day at -20°C. Four out of six raw chicken samples were found negative for the presence of C. perfringens at the end of 21 days of storage at -20°C. The experiment indicates the effect of freezing temperatures on viability of C. perfringens on meat.

Keywords: C. perfringens, storage, total count, temperature effect