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Title: Numbers of bacteria recovered from broiler carcasses and chiller water treated with hypochlorous and carbonic acids

Author
item Northcutt, Julie
item HUEZO, R - UGA
item Ingram, Kimberly
item Smith, Douglas
item Hinton Jr, Arthur
item Cason Jr, John

Submitted to: Poultry Science Association Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/15/2007
Publication Date: 7/8/2007
Citation: Northcutt, J.K., Huezo, R., Ingram, K.D., Smith, D.P., Hinton Jr, A., Cason Jr, J.A. 2007. Numbers of bacteria recovered from broiler carcasses and chiller water treated with hypochlorous and carbonic acids [abstract]. Poultry Science Association Meeting Abstract. 86(Suppl.1):383-384.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: A study was conducted to determine the effects of treating poultry chiller water with a mixture of hypochlorous and carbonic acids. Broiler carcasses and chiller water were obtained from a commercial processing facility which had recently installed a TOMCO Pathogen Management SystemJ to recycle water in the middle section of a 3 compartment chiller. Carcasses were sampled prechill and post-chill (final exit) during the first and second shifts, while chiller water was sampled from the beginning and end of each of the 3 chiller compartments. Carcasses were subjected to a whole carcass rinse (WCR) in 0.1% peptone. Numbers of Escherichia coli (EC), coliforms (CF) and Campylobacter (CP) were determined from the WCR and chiller water samples. Prevalence of Salmonella (SAL) was also determined on the WCR and chiller water samples. Shift had no effect on numbers of bacteria recovered from carcasses or chiller water samples. On average, prechill levels of bacteria recovered from rinses were 2.6, 2.9 and 2.6 log10 cfu/mL for EC, CF and CP, respectively. Ten out of 40 (25%) prechill carcasses were positive for SAL. After chilling, numbers of EC, CF and CP recovered from carcass rinses decreased by 1.5, 1.5, and 2.0 log10 cfu/mL, respectively. However, 9 out of 40 (22%) post-chill carcasses were positive for SAL. When the chiller water samples were tested, counts of EC, CF and CP were found only in water collected from the first compartment of the chiller. Two out of 4 (50%) water samples collected from the entrance of the first compartment tested positive for SAL. The present study shows that a mixture of hypochlorous and carbonic acid can be used to recycle poultry chiller water and still achieve reductions in numbers of bacteria (EC, CF and CP) or no increase in prevalence (SAL) of bacteria recovered from broiler carcasses.