Efficacy of Hypobromous Acid as a Hide-On Carcass Antimicrobial Intervention

Abstract

Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella on cattle hides at slaughter are the main source of beef carcass contamination by these foodborne pathogens during processing. Hypobromous acid (HOBr) has been approved for various applications in meat processing, but the efficacy of HOBr as a hide antimicrobial has not been determined. In this study, the antimicrobial properties of HOBr were determined by spraying cattle hides at either of two concentrations, 220 or 500 ppm. Treatment of hides with 220 ppm of HOBr reduced the prevalence of E. coli O157:H7 on hides from 25.3 to 10.1% (P < 0.05) and reduced the prevalence of Salmonella from 28.3 to 7.1% (P < 0.05). Treatment of hides with 500 ppm of HOBr reduced (P < 0.05) the prevalence of E. coli O157:H7 on hides from 21.2 to 10.1% and the prevalence of Salmonella from 33.3 to 8.1%. The application of 220 ppm of HOBr reduced (P < 0.05) aerobic plate counts, total coliform counts, and E. coli counts on hides by 2.2 log CFU/ 100 cm(2). The use of 500 ppm of HOBr resulted in reductions (P < 0.05) of aerobic plate counts, total coliform counts, and E. coli counts by 3.3, 3.7, and 3.8 log CFU/100 cm(2), respectively, demonstrating that the use of higher concentrations of HOBr on hides resulted in additional antimicrobial activity. These results indicate that the adoption of a HOBr hide wash will reduce hide concentrations of spoilage bacteria and pathogen prevalence, resulting in a lower risk of carcass contamination.

Antimicrobial Interventions for O157:H7 and Non-O157 Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli on Beef Subprimal and Mechanically Tenderized Steaks

“…No research has been found regarding the effectiveness of HA on the reduction of foodbome pathogens on postrigor beef. However, previous studies demonstrated the application of HA at a concentration of 200 ppm reduced E. coli 0157:H7 on both prerigor beef and hide-on carcass by approximately 2 log CFU/cm2 for both sites (14,27). In the current study, HA treatment resulted in less than a 1-log CFU/50-cm2 reduction for either E. coli 0157:H7 or non-0157 STEC at both high and low inoculation levels on beef surfaces before storage.…”

Immersion in Antimicrobial Solutions Reduces Salmonella enterica and Shiga Toxin–Producing Escherichia coli on Beef Cheek Meat

“…It is unclear why HOBR did not effectively reduce bacterial populations on the surfaces of cheek meat, as our laboratory previously demonstrated that spray application of l,3-dibromo-5,5-dimethylhydantoin, which is hydrolyzed to the active hypobromous acid form in aqueous solution, reduced STEC 0157:H7 levels on beef cutaneous trunci sections and beef hearts by 1.6 to 2.1 log CFU/cm2 (20) and determined that spray application of hypobromous acid on cattle hides reduced E. coli by 2.2 to 3.8 log CFU/cm2 (30). Zhao et al (36) demonstrated that immersion of chicken skin in LEV-SDS for 1 to 5 min reduced S. enterica by 2.9 to 5.3 log CFU/cm2.…”

Antibiotic‐resistant Shiga toxin‐producing Escherichia coli: An overview of prevalence and intervention strategies

“…Chemicals including lactic acid, butyric acid, caprylic acid, calcium sulphate, sodium benzoate, chlorine dioxide and ozone (FDA approved) that cause 3–5 log reduction in O157 can be used to disinfect drinking water (Zhao et al, ). In addition, animal hides that often get contaminated with faecal matter during transport may be washed with hot water and acidic solutions like hypobromous acid before evisceration, which can in turn reduce O157 on hides by 2–4 logs (Bosilevac, Nou, Barkocy‐Gallagher, Arthur, & Koohmaraie, ; Schmidt, Wang, Kalchayanand, Wheeler, & Koohmaraie, ).…”