In vitro antimicrobial activity of ginseng extract against Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella Typhimurium and Listeria monocytogenes and its inhibitory effects on these pathogens in cooked ground beef

Present study is focused on exploring in vitro antimicrobial activity of ginseng extract (GE) against Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella Typhimurium and Listeria monocytogenes and their biofilm forming ability, then determining its antimicrobial efficiency during the storage (4 and 10 °C) of cooked ground beef contaminated with these pathogens. Results revealed that the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) for S. aureus, S. typhimurium and L. monocytogenes were 90, 70 and 40 mg/mL, respectively. GE was also able to inhibit biofilm production by S. aureus and L. monocytogenes, whereas S. typhimurium did not produce biofilm with or without GE application. On the other hand, the results of GE aplication in ground beef indicated that GE incorporation at 0.5% or more reduced S. aureus and S. Typhmurium counts in cooked ground beef at the end of 30 d storage at 4 °C (P < 0.05). Using 1% or more GE totally inhibited S. Typhmurium after 15 d storage at 4 °C (P < 0.05). However, GE application did not affect S. aureus or S. Typhmurium counts in cooked ground beef stored at 10 °C. Furthermore, incorporation of 0.5% or more GE generally inhibited L. monocytogenes growth in cooked ground beef at the end of storage at both 4 and 10 °C (P < 0.05). In general, pH was lower in samples with GE than those without GE regardless of differences in the type of tested pathogen, storage time and temperatures (P < 0.05). Although similar a_w was generally obtained on processing day, lower a_w was observed in GE containing groups at the end of storage for both storage temperatures (P < 0.05). Oxidation reduction potential (ORP) in all groups generally increased during storage at both storage temperatures (P < 0.05). In conclusion, our results demonstrated that GE has an important role in controlling growth of tested pathogens and may be used as a natural agent by the meat industry to inhibit the growth of food-borne pathogens in cooked processed meat products during storage.