Pengaruh Paparan Pulsa Medan Elektrik Terhadap Penurunan Bakteri pada Daging Ayam

Abstract

Chicken meat consumption in Indonesia has been consistently increasing annually. However, the quality control mechanisms governing chicken meat production remain deficient. This is exemplified by the fact that chicken meat sold in traditional markets is frequently exposed and unprotected from ambient air at room temperature. Additionally, chicken meat is not subjected to adequate hygienic cleaning or washing processes, thereby increasing its susceptibility to bacterial contamination. The objective of this study is to investigate the impact of applying electric field pulses (PEF) on chicken meat's total microbial count (TPC). The results showed that treatment using a PEF machine with an electric field strength of 8 kV/cm combined with a capacitor bank for 60 minutes could reduce the total number of bacteria to 7×103 CFU/g. This value is below the maximum limit of microbial contamination for chicken meat specified by SNI 7388:2009 at 1×106 CFU/g. The most significant reduction in the total microbial population was observed after 60 minutes of processing, exhibiting a 96.84% decrease with a specific energy input of 950 kJ/kg.