## 3 Results and Discussion
### TMAB Count of Coated Chicken Liver Samples  
TMAB is considered as an important criterion in determining the microbiological quality of cooked meat products [89; 90]. TMAB counts of coated chicken liver samples are given in Table 11. The initial TMAB count of samples was between 3.49 and 3.56 log cfu/g at the beginning of the storage and there was no statistically significant difference between samples (\(p>0.05\)). As demonstrated by [PERSON] and [PERSON] [91], the initial mesophilic total viable counts of chicken liver samples were 5.4 log cfu/g, likely attributable to product cross-contamination during manual processing. These values increased to 7 log cfu/g (which is regarded as the upper acceptable limit) on day 3. \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c c c} \hline \hline \multirow{2}{*}{**Dependent Variables**} & \multicolumn{6}{c}{**Independent Variables**} \\ \cline{2-7}  & **CM** & **F** & **SP** & **CMxF** & **FxSP** & **CMxSP** & **CMxFxSP** \\ \hline
**TBARS** & \textless{}0.000 & \textless{}0.000 & \textless{}0.000 & \textless{}0.000 & \textless{}0.000 & \textless{}0.000 & \textless{}0.000 \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}  
CM: cooking method, F: formulation, SP: storage period, CMxF: cooking method x formulation, FxSP: formulation x storage period, CMxSP: cooking method x formulation x storage period, CMxFxSP: cooking method x formulation x storage period.  
\end{table} 
Table 10: The interaction effects of cooking method, formulation, and storage period on the TBARS values of coated chicken livers. On the 15 th, 45 th, and 60 th days of storage, turmeric and thyme additives exhibited an antimicrobial effect, resulting in a significant reduction in TMAB counts compared to the control samples (\(p<0.05\)). Nevertheless, on the 30 th day of storage, it was determined that only the oven-cooked samples with thyme and turmeric had lower TMAB counts compared to those of the control sample (\(p<0.05\)). The shelf life of buffalo liver stored under aerobic conditions was studied by [PERSON] and [PERSON] [92]. The results of that study indicated that the mean values of aerobic plate counts at 37 \({}^{\circ}\)C were 4.96, 5.76, 6.53, and 7.15 log10 cfu/g on days 0, 2, 4, and 6, respectively, and the authors revealed that the microbiological and sensory quality of buffalo liver remained acceptable up to the third day of storage. It is thought that in the present study, the application of thyme and turmeric in conjunction with the coating process to the livers provides enhanced protection of the microbial quality of the product during storage. The difference in cooking method applied to the samples until the 60 th day of storage did not cause a significant difference in the TMAB count of the samples. Additionally, on the 60 th day, the TMAB count of the oven-cooked control sample was determined to be significantly lower than the TMAB count of the deep-fried sample. The TMAB count of all the samples showed a statistically significant increase during the storage period (\(p<0.05\)). While the sample with the lowest TMAB count among the deep-fried cooked samples on the 45 th day of storage was the turmeric-added sample, no significant difference was determined between the samples containing turmeric and thyme on the 60 th day of storage. According to the International Commission on Microbiological Specifications for Foods [93] (ICMSF Standards), the acceptable limit value for TMAB is set as 1 \(\times\) 106 cfu/g. In the present study, it was determined that the samples did not exceed this limit value and were microbiologically safe during the 60-day storage period. Table 12 shows the interaction effects of the cooking method, formulation, and storage period on the TMAB values of coated chicken liver samples. The interaction effect of FxSP on the TMAB values of samples was determined as significant, while CMxF, CMxSP, and CMxFxSP were determined as insignificant.