A recent study published in the Journal of Food Protection examined the effects of whey protein isolate coatings incorporating a lactoperoxidase system on the inhibition of Salmonella enterica and Escherichia coli O157:H7 on roasted turkey were studied by testing the initial inhibition as well as the inhibition during storage.

The antimicrobial effect was observed regardless of whether the turkey was inoculated before or after coating. Storage studies were conducted for 42 days at 4 and 10 degrees C with S. enterica or E. coli O157:H7 inoculated sliced turkey.

The inhibition was more pronounced when the coating was formed on the surface of the turkey prior to inoculation than when the coating was formed on the inoculated surface. More effective inhibition of S. enterica and E. coli O157:H7 was observed with the LPOS-WPI coatings than with the LPOS solution-spreading treatment. LPOS-WPI coatings also retarded the growth of total aerobes during storage.