Antimicrobial effect of curcumin, alone or in combination with black pepper, against foodborne pathogens in vacuum-packed ground mutton.

Finding healthy, effective, safe, and affordable natural alternatives to synthetic preservatives for extending the shelf life of meat products has become a research priority. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of curcumin (0.3%, 0.7%, and 1%), black pepper (0.3%), or their combinations on the sensory attributes, shelf life, spoilage bacterial counts, and foodborne pathogens in vacuum-packed ground mutton stored at 4 °C. Ground mutton treated with a mixture of black pepper and curcumin maintained their quality and acceptability for up to 21 days compared to only 7 days for the controls. By day 21 of storage, ground mutton treated with the combination of 0.3% black pepper and 1% curcumin exhibited significant reductions in anaerobic, lactic acid, and psychrotrophic bacterial counts by 2.37, 2.05, and 2.3 logs, respectively, along with significant reductions in the inoculated Salmonella Typhimurium and Escherichia coli O157:H7 by 2.75 and 2.39 logs, respectively compared to the control. Interestingly, a complete inhibition of the inoculated S. aureus (MRSA) growth was observed in ground mutton treated with 0.3% black pepper and 1% curcumin blend by the 14th day of storage. Thus, curcumin and black pepper may serve as effective natural preservatives for prolonging shelf life and controlling foodborne pathogens in meat products during vacuum-packaged storage.