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ARS Home » Plains Area » Clay Center, Nebraska » U.S. Meat Animal Research Center » Meat Safety and Quality » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #388663
Research Project: Holistic Tactics to Advance the Microbiological Safety and Quality of the Red Meat Continuum

Location: Meat Safety and Quality

Title: Efficacy of antimicrobial interventions used in meat processing plants against antimicrobial tolerant non-antibiotic-resistant and antibiotic-resistant Salmonella on fresh beef

Author
item Kalchayanand, Norasak - Nor
item DASS, SAPNA - Texas A&M University
item ZHANG, YANGJUNNA - University Of Nebraska
item OLIVER, ERIC - University Of Nebraska
item WANG, BING - University Of Nebraska
item Wheeler, Tommy

Submitted to: Journal of Food Protection
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/24/2022
Publication Date: 8/1/2022
Citation: Kalchayanand, N., Dass, S.C., Zhang, Y., Oliver, E.L., Wang, B., Wheeler, T.L. 2022. Efficacy of antimicrobial interventions used in meat processing plants against antimicrobial tolerant non-antibiotic-resistant and antibiotic-resistant Salmonella on fresh beef. Journal of Food Protection. 85(8):1114-1121. https://doi.org/10.4315/JFP-21-364.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.4315/JFP-21-364

Interpretive Summary: Salmonella is a common cause of foodborne illness in the United States and beef processing plants use a variety of antimicrobial compounds to reduce the risk of foodborne pathogens such as Salmonella. There is some concern that antibiotic resistant Salmonella might also be more resistant to antimicrobial interventions used in beef processing to reduce the risk of foodborne pathogens. This study determined whether antimicrobial interventions used in beef processing were as effective against antibiotic resistant Salmonella as they are against non-antibiotic resistant Salmonella. The findings indicated that common meat processing antimicrobial interventions were equally effective in controlling non-resistant and resistant Salmonella that may be present during processing. These data provide confidence that foodborne pathogens that have acquired antibiotic resistance are still equally susceptible to meat processing antimicrobial intervention treatments.

Technical Abstract: Salmonella is a common cause of foodborne illness in the United States, and several strains of Salmonella have been identi'ed as resistant to antibiotics. It is not known whether strains that are antibiotic resistant (ABR) and that have some tolerance to antimicrobial compounds are also able to resist the inactivation effects of antimicrobial interventions used in fresh meat processing. Sixty-eight Salmonella isolates (non-ABR and ABR strains) were treated with half concentrations of lactic acid (LA), peracetic acid (PAA), and cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC), which are used in beef processing plants to screen for tolerant strains. Six strains each from non-ABR and ABR Salmonella that were most tolerant of LA (2%), PAA (200 ppm), and CPC (0.4%) were selected. Selected strains were inoculated on surfaces of fresh beef and subjected to spray wash treatment with 4% LA, 400 ppm PAA, or 0.8% CPC for the challenge study. Tissue samples were collected before and after each antimicrobial treatment for enumeration of survivors. Spray treatment with LA, PAA, or CPC signi'cantly reduced non-ABR Salmonella and ABR Salmonella on surfaces of fresh beef by 1.95, 1.22, and 1.33 log CFU/cm2, and 2.14, 1.45, and 1.43 log CFU/cm2, respectively. The order of effectiveness was LA . PAA ¼ CPC. The 'ndings also indicated that LA, PAA, and CPC were equally (P <= 0.05) effective against non-ABR and ABR Salmonella on surfaces of fresh beef. These data contribute to the body of work that indicates that foodborne pathogens that have acquired both antibiotic resistance and antimicrobial tolerance are still equally susceptible to meat processing antimicrobial intervention treatments.