Abstract
Background:
Ozone (O3) is a promising alternative antibacterial agent that has recently been used in meat processing. The understanding of the appropriate functional settings of O3 for addressing food safety problems is still insufficient.

Aim:
The aim of this study was therefore, to investigate the effects of exposure to O3 on the bacteriological quality of retail meat inoculated with Arcobacter butzleri at refrigeration temperatures.

Methods:
Chicken and cattle meat were inoculated with 7 log CFU/g of A. butzleri previously isolated from fresh and chilled retail meat. Using an O3 generator (Ivation, Multipurpose Air Sterilizing, USA), the meat samples were treated with O3 gas (0.5 ppm) for 20 and 40 minutes at temperatures ranging from 3 to 7°C for 48 hours. Anaerobic and aerobic bacterial growth, as well as A. butzleri were assessed.

Results:
The growth rates of A. butzleri, total aerobic bacteria, and anaerobic bacteria in chilled meat samples were all slowed significant reduction by 0.75, 1.13, and 0.7 log CFU/g, respectively, when exposed to O3 gas (p ≤ 0.05). Compared to control samples kept at 3–7 °C for further 24 hours, the decrease was greater with an additional exposure time of 20 minutes. In contrast to the samples that did not appear to be exposed to O3, the total bacterial count of the samples exposed to ozone showed a statistically significant reduction (p ≤ 0.01) compared to the samples that were not exposed to ozone. This decrease is important for the health of the population.

Conclusion:
This study explored the use of O3 experience as a potential antibacterial agent for meat and meat products stored in refrigerator. The results of this research may support further applications of O3 exposure, such as the installation of an O3 generator inside a refrigerator. However, further research is needed on O3 levels and exposure durations.

Key words: Arcobacter butzleri, Cattle meat, Chicken meat, Ozone, Storage conditions