# Marination as a Hurdle to Microbial Pathogens and Spoilers in Poultry Meat Products: A Brief Review
## 1 Introduction
### Current Safety Measures against Foodborne Pathogens in Poultry Meat  
Throughout the food chain, mitigation strategies have been adopted to limit the presence of _Campylobacter_ spp. and _Salmonella_ spp. in poultry meat. We can divide the farm-to-fork continuum into three major stages: pre-processing, processing, and post-processing. Each level possesses many entry points for foodborne pathogens to colonise poultry meat. At the pre-processing stage, the main focus is to ensure that no foodborne pathogen enters the production facility and colonises the chickens' gut; biosecurity measures are the defensive frontline against these pathogens [31; 32; 33]. However, the effectiveness of these measures is often in line with renewal rates, cleaning efficiency, and personnel training [34]. The separation of the flocks from other animals is also an important measure to fulfil. Compartmentalised flocks with small elements and low density can also reduce the risk of horizontal transmission [35]. Surveillance is another crucial factor in the safety of poultry [36]. During their growth, the fledglings can be subjected to probiotic formulas to create a healthy microbiome in the nestling's gut, which may prevent bacterial colonisation through various mechanisms [37; 38]. Even with various integrated overlapping control strategies, foodborne pathogens still find their way into the production facilities and the chicken's gut, reaching the meat [33]. Thus, they create the constant need to develop new hurdles against said pathogens. Many studies have shown the effectiveness of bacteriophages and bacterios in reducing the levels of _Salmonella_ and _Campylobacter_ in the chicken's gut [39; 40; 41; 42]. Their usage, however, still requires more information since many questions remain to be answered, and a proper regulatory framework has not yet been approved. During the processing stage, new challenges emerge. As previously mentioned, evisceration is a pivotal control point. If not carried out per recommended good practices, cross-contamination from the gut onto other processing surfaces and the carcass can occur. Performing systematic biofilm removal, disinfection, and cleaning will address possible fomite transmission. All the machinery used in the evisceration process is designed from the ground up to be easily accessible by the cleaning agents. This way, the removal of any present biofilm can be assured [43]. At the carcass level, the preventive measures diverge. Carcass decontamination with chlorine, chlorine dioxide, trisodium phosphate, and lactic acid is legal in certain countries, namely the US [44]. However, in the case of the EU, chlorine and organic acids cannot be used in carcass decontamination, and the latter is only allowed for surface decontamination [45]. Other routine procedures widely used around the world are carcass and crust freezing. Carcass freezing does not aim at reducing the bacterial levels on the carcass, even though some bacterial reduction may occur [46], preventing only the proliferation of any microorganisms present on the meat surface. Meanwhile, crust freezing is employed to achieve a suitable product texture to prevent any losses or tearing of the meat due to mechanical processing, and its use is not intended to decrease the overall microbiological safety of the product [47]. The post-processing phase will eventually lead to the consumption of the poultry product. In this phase, most of the safeguards fall on the consumer. Refrigeration at around 4 \({}^{\circ}\)C will prevent the proliferation of most pathogens, including _Salmonella_ spp. [48]. During cooking, temperatures of around 70 \({}^{\circ}\)C should be reached evenly throughout the poultry meat for 3 min [49], ensuring the destruction of any vegetative cells. The methods used by the consumer to monitor meat doneness, such as the evaluation of the inner colour or texture of the poultry, have been proven ineffective in determining pathogen destruction [50].