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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Fayetteville, Arkansas » Poultry Production and Product Safety Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #418857
Research Project: Multi-hurdle Approaches for Controlling Foodborne Pathogens in Poultry

Location: Poultry Production and Product Safety Research

Title: Application of Electron beam (eBeam) technology to reduce foodborne pathogens and spoilage organisms in ground chicken

Author
item KALAPALA, TANMAIE - University Of Arkansas
item ESQUIVEL, JOAQUIN - University Of Arkansas
item ASSUMPCAO, ANNA - University Of Arkansas
item PHILLIPS, GEETHA - University Of Arkansas
item Jesudhasan, Palmy
item Arsi, Komala
item PRICE, JACQUELINE - University Of Arkansas
item Donoghue, Ann
item OWENS, CASEY - University Of Arkansas
item ODE, TOMI - University Of Arkansas

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/15/2024
Publication Date: 9/24/2024
Citation: Kalapala, T., Esquivel, J.J., Assumpcao, A., Phillips, G., Jesudhasan, P., Arsi, K., Price, J., Donoghue, A.M., Owens, C.M., Ode, T. 2024. Application of Electron beam (eBeam) technology to reduce foodborne pathogens and spoilage organisms in ground chicken. Abstract. Arkansas Association for Food Prevention Conference, 2024. September 24-26, 2024.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Foodborne outbreaks continue to impact public health and the economy globally. Salmonella and Campylobacter are two major foodborne pathogens that are responsible for causing over 2 million illnesses annually in the U.S. These pathogens are commonly found in chicken products and are major contributors to foodborne illness. FDA-approved electron beam (eBeam) technology can be a promising approach to inactivate these pathogens in ground chicken. This study aimed to determine the optimal eBeam dose and assess its efficacy in reducing Salmonella enterica, Campylobacter jejuni, and total aerobic bacteria in ground chicken. Three trials were conducted: in the first two, 10g ground chicken samples were divided into five treatments, Control-untreated, 1kGy, 2kGy, 3kGy, 4kGy in triplicates. Based on the results from the first two trials, a third trial was conducted where we used one-pound meat packages (n=3) and included the following treatments: Control-untreated, 3kGy, and 4kGy. Samples were spiked with a cocktail of 5 Salmonella serovars and 5 strains of C. jejuni. Non-spiked meat from the third trial was used for meat quality and sensory panel analyses. After eBeam treatment, the meat samples were stomached, diluted, and plated on selective media to enumerate Salmonella, Campylobacter, and total aerobic bacteria. Meat quality and sensory analyses were performed to evaluate possible alterations induced by eBeam treatment compared to control-untreated group. Bacterial counts were log-transformed, and one-way ANOVA was performed in the GraphPad Prism 10 software with Dunnett’s post-hoc comparison for microbiological analysis and Tukey’s post-hoc for meat quality and sensory analyses (P<0.05). Results showed that 2kGy dose successfully reduced Salmonella and Campylobacter to below detection limits, while total aerobic bacteria counts were below the detection limits at 3kGy of treatment. No significant differences were observed in the sensory and the meat quality analyses between eBeam-treated and control-untreated ground chicken.