2.2. Sample inoculation
A total of 144 chicken legs were collected from a local poultry
processing plant immediately after carcass evisceration. These samples
were transported to the laboratory in an ice chest and stored at
3±1 °C for no longer than 1 h before use. The skin from all the legs
was removed with the aid of a sterile scalpel and tweezers. The
skinned chicken legs were randomly divided into eight batches,
each containing 18 legs. The samples in each batch were individually
immersed for 30 min in one of the different bacterial suspensions
(105 cfu/mL) at room temperature (about 20 °C). The ratio of chicken
legs to suspension volume was 1:2 (w/v). After dipping, the legs were
kept for 30 min at room temperature to allow for draining and bacterial
attachment.