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Abstract
Raw chicken fillets were exposed to ultraviolet (UV) irradiation (dose of 1,000 2W/cm for 5 min at a wavelength of 254 nm) to evaluate its potential to reduce Listeria monocytogenes on raw product before shipment to a further processing plant. Four strains were used based on differing subtypes and antibiotic resistance profiles. A 2 Log reduction in viable L. monocytogenes was observed with all strains for the UV irradiated fillets as compared to the non irradiated fillets. UV irradiation caused no significant changes in the antibiotic resistance profiles for all 4 strains with the UV irradiated fillets as compared to the non irradiated fillets. The UV irradiation treatment had no undesirable effects on meat color at day 0 and day 7 between the 2 groups. This thesis suggests that UV irradiation of raw fillets can significantly reduce L. monocytogenes without selecting for increased antibiotic resistance and negatively affecting meat color.