## 3 Results and Discussion
### Effect of AITC on the Microbiological Properties of Chicken Meat  
The results of the antimicrobial efficacy of AITC against aerobic mesophilic counts (AMC) of _L. monocytogenes_, S. Typhimuriumium, and _P. lundensis_ in chicken breast meat are presented in Figure 3. The initial count of aerobic mesophilic bacteria (day 0) in control meat samples was less than 5 log CFU/g, which is satisfactory for acceptable quality chicken meat. The non-inoculated control samples followed by the inoculated control samples showed the highest microbial load at the end of storage, which was 8 and 7.8 log CFU/g, respectively. AITC resulted in some inhibition of AMCs; as the concentration of AITC increased, the number of AMCs decreased. The lowest number of AMCs was recorded in chicken breast samples treated with MIC-4 concentration of AITC; samples treated with AITC concentrations of MIC-1, MIC-2, and MIC-4 were 7.6, 7.3, and 6.9 log CFU/g, respectively, on day 14 of storage. Figure 2: Effect of different concentrations of AITC on TBARS values of chicken meat stored up to 14 days at 4 \({}^{\circ}\)C. *  
Figure 3: _Cont._  
The antimicrobial effect of AITC on _L. monocytogenes_, _S. Typhimuriumrium, and _P. lundensis_ counts was also investigated in chicken breast. During storage, _Pseudomonas_ counts increased in all treatment groups, except the MIC-4 AITC-treated sample, which showed no increase from day 10 onwards. Since _Pseudomonas_ species are present in significant numbers in the microbiota of meat, the control and inoculated control samples showed the highest _Pseudomonas_ counts, with 6.4 and 4.2 log CFU/g at the end of storage. While the samples treated with AITC at MIC-1 and MIC-2 concentrations showed _P. lundensis_ counts of 2.9 and 2.8 log CFU/g on day 0, which gradually increased to reach 3.9 and 3.4 log CFU/g on day 14, respectively, the initial cell count of 2.8 in the MIC-4 group decreased to below 1.7 log CFU/g by the end of storage. Furthermore, _L. monocytogenes_ counts increased in all chicken breast samples, except those treated with MIC-4 AITC concentration, which reduced the count of _Listeria_ from 5.2 to 4.0 log CFU/g for the end  
Figure 3: Effect of various AITC concentrations on aerobic mesophilic counts of _Pseudomonas lundensis_, _Listeria monocytogenes_, and _Salmonella_ Typhimuriumrium of chicken meat kept for up to 14 days at 4 °C. The arrow line (\(\downarrow\)) represents the numbers below the detection limit. of the storage period. In addition, MIC-4 caused a reduction of 2.3 log _L. monocytogenes_ compared to the inoculated control. In non-inoculated control samples, the number of _L. monocytogenes_ began to increase from day 10. Since AITC is a volatile compound and easily degrades to new products in aqueous media, this may facilitate the action of AITC against \(L\). monocytogenes, which possesses a cell wall that contains only a thick peptidoglycan layer covering the cytoplasmic membrane [28]. In this study, among the inoculated samples, the control showed the highest _Listeria_ counts, increasing from 5.3 log CFU/g to 6.5 log CFU/g, while chicken breast samples treated with the AITC concentrations of MIC-1 and MIC-2 had _Listeria_ counts of 6.1 and 5.4 log CFU/g, respectively, at the end of storage. In the case of \(S\). Typhimurium, the highest counts were observed in the inoculated control, reaching 6.4 log CFU/g on day 14, while the control samples had \(S\). Typhimurium counts below the detection limit of the inoculation method. AITC treatment reduced the growth of \(S\). Typhimurium in chicken breast samples and the highest concentration of AITC not only prevented _Salmonella_ growth but also caused a reduction in its numbers (Figure 3). The initial _Salmonella_ counts in samples treated with MIC-1, MIC-2, and MIC-4 AITC concentrations were 6.2, 6.2, and 5.7 log CFU/g at the beginning of storage, respectively, and decreased to 5.9, 5.7, and 5.4 log CFU/g by day 14, respectively. Moreover, _L.