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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Athens, Georgia » U.S. National Poultry Research Center » Poultry Microbiological Safety and Processing Research Unit » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #336100
Research Project: Production and Processing Intervention Strategies for Poultry Associated Foodborne Pathogens

Location: Poultry Microbiological Safety and Processing Research Unit

Title: Treatment with a low pH processing aid to reduce campylobacter counts on broiler parts

Author
item LANDRUM, MELISSA - University Of Georgia
item Cox, Nelson - Nac
item Cosby, Douglas
item Berrang, Mark
item RUSSELL, S - University Of Georgia

Submitted to: Poultry Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/24/2016
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: New performance standards for Campylobacter have been implemented and FSIS estimates that 46% of the poultry processing plants will be unable to meet the new standards. This study demonstrated that treatment of raw poultry with a low pH processing aid (PoultrypHresh™) reduced the number of Campylobacter cells by almost 3 logs and this should allow more processors to meet the new standards for pathogen reduction.

Technical Abstract: This study evaluated the low pH processing aid – CMS PoultrypHresh™ (LPPA) to reduce Campylobacter on carcasses (3 groups of 6) collected prior to the chiller that were individually placed into a 38 L container with either 20 L tap water (pH = 7.3) or 20 L of LPPA solution (pH = 1.4) with air agitation. An untreated group was the control. After treatment, drained carcasses were placed into a plastic bag, and rinsed in 400 mL of buffered peptone for 60 s. Rinsates were cultured for Campylobacter by direct plating on Campy-cefex agar and enrichment in Bolton’s broth. If no Campylobacter was detected by direct plating, the incubated broth was plated and incubated under the same conditions. Confirmed Campylobacter were detected on 30/36 (83.3%) untreated carcasses, on 25/36 (69.4%) water treated carcasses, and on 2/36 (5.6%) of LPPA treated carcasses.