Validation of Individual and Multiple-Sequential Interventions for Reduction of Microbial Populations during Processing of Poultry Carcasses and Parts

Abstract

Changes in aerobic plate counts (APC), total coliform counts (TCC), Escherichia coli counts (ECC), and Salmonella incidence on poultry carcasses and parts and in poultry processing water were evaluated. Bacterial counts were estimated before and after individual interventions and after poultry carcasses were exposed to multiple-sequential interventions at various stages during the slaughter process. Individual and multiple-sequential interventions were evaluated at three processing plants: (i) plant A (New York wash, postevisceration wash, inside-outside bird washes 1 and 2, chlorine dioxide wash, chlorine dioxide wash plus chlorine chiller, chiller exit spray, and postchiller wash), (ii) plant B (New York wash, inside-outside bird washes 1 and 2, trisodium phosphate wash, and chlorine chiller), and (iii) plant C (trisodium phosphate wash and chlorine chiller). The majority of individual interventions effectively or significantly (P < 0.05) reduced microbial populations on or in carcasses, carcass parts, and processing water. Reductions in APC, TCC, and ECC due to individual interventions ranged from 0 to 1.2, 0 to 1.2, and 0 to 0.8 log CFU/ml, respectively. Individual interventions reduced Salmonella incidence by 0 to 100% depending on the type of process and product. Multiple-sequential interventions resulted in significant reductions (P < 0.05) in APC, TCC, ECC, and Salmonella incidence of 2.4, 2.8, and 2.9 log CFU/ml and 79%, respectively, at plant A; 1.8, 1.7, and 1.6 log CFU/ml and 91%, respectively, at plant B; and 0.8, 1.1, and 0.9 log CFU/ml and 40%, respectively, at plant C. These results enabled validation of in-plant poultry processing interventions and provide a source of information to help the industry in its selection of antimicrobial strategies.

Enumeration of Escherichia coli Cells on Chicken Carcasses as a Potential Measure of Microbial Process Control in a Random Selection of Slaughter Establishments in the United States

“…Specifically, E. coli numbers were reduced during processing and fit the logistic distribution at the postchill stage, with stable means and defined standard deviations. The study was not designed to evaluate efficacy of processing interventions (20) or the effect of microbial loads in live birds (9). Rather, microbial numbers were measured at the rehang and postchill stages in a randomly selected group of U.S. chicken processing operations.…”

“…For example, USDA's hazard analysis and critical control point rule (3) specifies two criteria for evaluating process control: establishments are to maintain less than 100 CFU of E. coli per ml in 80% of poultry carcass rinses and never exceed 1,000 CFU/ml. Surveys have been performed to define precise E. coli performance criteria for poultry (5), to monitor microbial reduction during slaughter processing (6), and to validate interventions to reduce microbial numbers on poultry (20).…”

Assessing the microbiomes of scalder and chiller tank waters throughout a typical commercial poultry processing day

“…Given the action of chlorine within this tank to reduce bacterial contamination, specifically of those organisms related to the many genera of Proteobacteria known to cause food safety-related issues (e.g. Salmonella, Campylobacter, Escherichia) (Stopforth et al, 2007;Finstad et al, 2012), this large increase in Proteobacteria was unexpected, but it should be noted that these are relative abundance values, not absolute abundance values. Previously published data on these samples showed that total bacterial concentrations in the chiller water tank samples did not significantly change throughout the processing d and remained quite low (∼10 2 copies/mL; (Rothrock et al, 2013)).…”

“…Considering that the carcasses introduce not only organic particulates to the scalder tank (Bryan and Doyle, 1995), but also a variety of carcass-and fecal-associated bacteria that increase bacterial contamination of scalder tanks throughout a processing d (Whyte et al, 2004;Rothrock et al, 2013), these increases were not unexpected. In terms of the chiller tank, richness decreased over the course of the processing d, most likely due to the fact that chlorination within these tanks is used to reduce bacterial loads (Stopforth et al, 2007;Finstad et al, 2012). Both diversity and evenness within the chiller tank were relatively unchanged throughout the processing day.…”

Technical specifications on harmonised epidemiological indicators for biological hazards to be covered by meat inspection of poultry

“…The United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) hazard analysis and critical control point rule (USDA, 1996) specifies two criteria for evaluating process control: establishments are to maintain less than 100 cfu of E. coli per mL in 80 % of poultry carcass rinses and never exceed 1 000 cfu/mL. Surveys have been performed to define precise E. coli performance criteria for poultry (Ghafir, 2008), to monitor microbial reduction during slaughter processing (Gill, 2006), and to validate interventions to reduce microbial numbers on poultry (Stopforth et al, 2007).…”