Salmonella enteritidis has recently emerged as a potential pathogen in poultry products. The growth of S. enteritidis in poultry is affected by several factors such as storage temperature, pH, water activity, modified atmosphere and the presence of preservatives. All of these factors may act alone or in combination with each other resulting in a synergistic, antimicrobial effect. / In this research, initial storage studies were done to determine the effect of various atmospheres (air, vacuum, oxygen absorbent and gas packaging) on the microbial changes of packaged chicken thighs followed by challenge studies with a strain of S. enteritidis$ sp{ rm{NAST}}$. Chicken thighs were packaged in Cryovac bags and stored at 4 and 12$ sp circ$C for up to 28d. Changes in headspace gas composition, pH, drip loss, color and odor were monitored at each sampling day. / The effect of various packaging treatments, dipping solutions (chitosan (0.2%w/v) and potassium sorbate (0.2%w/v)) and low dose irradiation (1.5 & 3.0 kGy) on the growth of S. enteritidis$ sp{ rm NAST}$ and on the shelf-life of chicken thighs stored at 4 and 12$ sp circ$C was also investigated. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

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