Absorbent food pads containing bacteriophages for potential antimicrobial use in refrigerated food products

The incessant search by the consumer for products that are ready for consumption and for new technologies aimed at ensuring the safety and quality of food has intensified with the adoption of measures that can reduce these risks. This work shows that an absorbent food pad used in chilled meat trays, containing a mix of six bacteriophages, BFSE16, BFSE18, PaDTA1, PaDTA9, PaDTA10 and PaDTA11 isolated and characterized by the work group, used as biocontrol, has application in the food preservation area. It is an excellent method of extending the shelf life of refrigerated processed foods ready for consumption. The system was evaluated for the ability, in vitro, to reduce the initial count of Salmonella Typhimurium present in the environment. Three different phage concentrations were incorporated in pads that have the ability to reduce 4.36, 3.66 and 0.87 log cycles at 15 °C, respectively, and an average 0.55 log cycles at 10 °C at the concentrations used. The higher the concentration of this bacteriophage, the better its effect on the host, having a greater capacity for infection. The viable phage remained on the pad during the treatment time of 48 h.