Abstract
Meat products face microbial safety challenges, while growing consumer demand for "clean label" options discourages the use of synthetic preservatives. Although Nisin and cultured dextrose (CD) are known natural antimicrobials, their combined application in meat systems has not been fully assessed. Herein, we systematically evaluated the antibacterial activity of CD in combination with Nisin against Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Escherichia coli (E. coli) using a uniform design. While regression modeling of the in vitro data indicated a potent synergistic interaction at lower concentrations, the optimal practical combination for meat preservation was identified as 0.02% Nisin and 0.5% CD. This combination was applied to braised chicken breast stored at 0-4 °C, with microbial counts, pH, color, and sensory quality monitored over 28 days. The results indicated that this Nisin-CD combination significantly suppressed the growth of total viable bacteria, S. aureus, and E. coli, stabilized pH, minimized color variation, and maintained sensory acceptability. Therefore, the 0.02% Nisin and 0.5% CD combination is recommended as an effective clean-label strategy to extend the shelf life of meat products by enhancing microbial safety and quality without synthetic preservatives.