ARS | Publication request: The next generation of microbiological testing of poultry.

Submitted to: World Poultry Congress Proceedings
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: January 16, 2012
Publication Date: August 5, 2012
Citation: Becker, M.M., Cox Jr, N.A., Livezey, K., Wisniewski, M., Doyle, M.P. 2012. The next generation of microbiological testing of poultry.. World Poultry Congress Proceedings. Vol.68:Supplement 1 PL32.

Technical Abstract: Microbiological testing of food products is a common practice of food processors to ensure compliance with food safety criteria. Sampling on its own is of limited value, but when applied regularly at different stages of the food chain, microbiology testing can be an integral part of a quality control program. No feasible sampling plan can assure the absence of foodborne pathogens, but when done on a regular basis, changes in contamination of pathogens such as Salmonella on raw poultry can be identified so that corrective action can be taken. Although an expert consensus on the most appropriate sampling sites and methods for determining Salmonella status of poultry flocks and meat has not been reached, there are inherent weaknesses in several methods that will be discussed. Ribosamal RNA (rRNA) molecular assay provides several advantages to molecular testing for Salmonella on poultry including a high copy number within each bacterial cell and it contains stretches of gene sequences that vary considerably between different organisms. Using Transcription-Mediated Amplification to amplify rRNA provides high amplification efficiencies enabling the detection of as few as one bacterial cell. A fully automated instrument has been developed that TMA amplifies and detects chemiluminescent reaction products, providing results within 3.5 hours.