Salmonella spp. in poultry carcass: evaluation of sample preparation methods and effect of storage under refrigeration on pathogen recovery

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the use of different analytical units and the influence of storage under refrigeration on the detection of Salmonella sp. in naturally contaminated poultry carcasses. One hundred and thirty samples were collected during the production process soon after chilling (postchiller phase). Fifty-five samples were analyzed in up to 2 h after collection and 65 samples were analyzed after 72 h of storage. Pathogen screening was based on three different analytical units and a comparison was made between them. Carcasses were initially rinsed with 400 mL of diluent, and three different analytical units were incubated: total rinsing volume (TRV), a single 30 mL aliquot of the rinsing volume, and 25 g of skin from different areas of the carcass. Of all samples analyzed, 60% were positive for Salmonella sp. From the samples collected at the post-chiller phase, 57% were positive for the pathogen and 52.31% of these were detected by TRV; a better statistical performance (P<0.05) when compared to the other analytical units. Of the refrigerated samples, 63% were contaminated, but there were no significant differences between analytical units (P>0.05). There were no significant differences between the number of positive samples from the post-chiller phase and after 72 h of refrigeration. It was also seen that the use of different analytical units (one for the post-chiller phase and another for the refrigerated samples) in samples coming from the same production lot may give different results.

Occurrence of Salmonella sp. in poultry carcasses evaluated from the retail trade between 2007 and 2013 in Paraná state, Brazil

“…However, as a reflection of a competitive exclusion, the emergence and reemergence of new serotypes may explain the reason the occurrence of Salmonella sp. still remains high in the poultry chain (Ribeiro et al, 2007;Rall et al, 2009;Yamatogi et al, 2012;Fernandes et al, 2016), corroborating with the high occurrence observed in this work.…”

Qualitative and Quantitative Determination and Resistance Patterns of Salmonella from Poultry Carcasses

“…The higher Salmonella prevalence and levels found at PB might be a result of the type of sample collected (carcass rinsate). However, results of previous studies indicate that both rinse and excision sampling methods generate similar and comparable results (12,13,49,51).…”

“…The samples collected at the market storage simulation point (RS) had a Salmonella prevalence of 30%. This value reflects the high contamination levels of poultry that reach the retail market, as reported in various countries (10,26,28,46,51).…”

“…Fletcher (20) compiled many international studies over the last 40 years that have linked Salmonella to birds. In Brazil, the reported prevalence of these bacteria in final poultry products is 39.3 to 86.7% (10,39,51).…”