The Effect of Standard Pelleting and More Thermally Aggressive Pelleting Utilizing a Hygieniser on Feed Manufacture and Reduction of Enterococcus faecium, a Salmonella Surrogate

Thermal inactivation of Salmonella Typhimurium and surrogate Enterococcus faecium in mash broiler feed in a laboratory scale circulated thermal bath

“…Our previous studies compared E. faecium reduction when feed was pelleted using standard pelleting methods (conditioned at 70°C for 15 s without hygieniser use) with more thermally aggressive pelleting (conditioned at 80°C for 30 s and hygieniser retention for 45 s, Boltz et al, 2019 ). Standard pelleting demonstrated a 3-log reduction while more thermally aggressive pelleting demonstrated a 4-log reduction in E. faecium when compared to unprocessed mash ( P < 0.05, Boltz et al, 2019 ). Boney et al (2018) utilized the same E. faecium and found that steam conditioning for 10 and 60 s demonstrated a 3- and 4-log reduction in E. faecium .…”

“…The nalidixic acid ( NaL ) resistant Salmonella Typhimurium American Type Culture Collection ( ATCC ) 14028 and surrogate Enterococcus faecium ATCC 8459 were used in this study. Both bacterial strains were used in previous studies investigating thermal inactivation of moisture-enhanced chicken patties ( Jiang et al, 2021 ) and mash broiler feed ( Boltz et al, 2019 ). The Salmonella and E. faecium strains were grown on tryptic soy agar with 200 ppm of NaL (Hardy Diagnostics, Santa Maria, CA) and maintained in refrigerated incubators for up to 3 wk before refreshment.…”

“…Thermal processing in the form of steam conditioning during the feed manufacture process can be manipulated by feed mill operators to reduce the pathogen load of feed as this can be viewed as the critical control point ( CCP ) during feed manufacture ( Huleback and Schlosser, 2002 ; Boltz et al, 2019 ). Past research using differing steam conditioning temperatures, conditioning times, antimicrobial inclusion, and feed mill equipment have shown promise for reducing the bacterial load of pelleted poultry feed ( Boney et al, 2018 ; Boltz et al, 2019 ). Currently, there are no industry recommendations for feed manufacture but modeling could change this ( Cutlip et al, 2008 ).…”

Comparing the Efficacy of Two Triple-Wash Procedures With Sodium Hypochlorite, a Lactic–Citric Acid Blend, and a Mix of Peroxyacetic Acid and Hydrogen Peroxide to Inactivate Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes, and Surrogate Enterococcus faecium on Cucumbers and Tomatoes

“…Salmonella Typhimurium ATCC 14028, Salmonella Tennessee ATCC 10722, L. monocytogenes strains L2624 and L2625 (cantaloupe outbreak serotype 1/2b, donated by Dr. Joshua Gurtler, USDA-ARS, Wyndmoor, PA), and surrogate E. faecium ATCC 8459 were used in this study. Both Salmonella and L. monocytogenes strains were used in the previously reported farmers market produce safety projects (Li et al, 2017(Li et al, , 2018, and this strain of E. faecium has also been studied in WVU poultry meat projects (Lemonakis et al, 2017;Boltz et al, 2019). Salmonella, L. monocytogenes, and E. faecium retrieved from frozen stock cultures were streak-plated onto xylose lysine tergitol-4 agar (XLT-4, Hardy Diagnostics, Santa Maria, CA, USA), Modified Oxford agar (MOX, Hardy Diagnostics, Santa Maria, CA, USA), and BEA (Hardy Diagnostics, Santa Maria, CA, USA), respectively, and then incubated at 35 • C for 48 h to generate single colonies.…”

“…The use of a pathogen surrogate is a possible valid approach, and the target surrogate needs to be validated in laboratory conditions first (Hu and Gurtler, 2017). Enterococcus faecium, a Grampositive chain-shaped cocci, has been studied on our WVU poultry farm as a safer alternative for Salmonella during steam conditioning, antimicrobial inclusion, and standard/thermal aggressive pelleting during broiler feed manufacturing (Boney et al, 2018;Boltz et al, 2019). Enterococcus faecium has also been validated as a surrogate for Salmonella in almond pasteurization (Jeong et al, 2011).…”