Evaluation of MicroTally Mitts for Detecting Foodborne Pathogens During Broiler Processing

Authors: RICHARDS, AMBER - University Of Georgia; McMillan, Elizabeth; Read, Quentin; SHARIAT, NIKKI - University Of Georgia; Buhr, Richard; Harris, Caitlin

Submitted to: Journal of Food Protection
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/24/2026
Publication Date: 3/3/2026
Citation: Richards, A.K., Mcmillan, E.A., Read, Q.D., Shariat, N.W., Buhr, R.J., Harris, C.E. 2026. Evaluation of MicroTally Mitts for Detecting Foodborne Pathogens During Broiler Processing. Journal of Food Protection. Volume 89, Issue 5. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfp.2026.100740.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfp.2026.100740

Interpretive Summary: As Americans continue to eat more chicken, ensuring the food safety of poultry products is paramount. One way to protect consumers is by detecting foodborne pathogens during processing, before the product reaches grocery shelves. This study explored a new sampling tool called the MicroTally® Mitt to see how well it detects bacteria compared to the traditional method of rinsing whole carcasses or parts. Three commercial chicken plants were sampled using traditional and new sampling tools at various stages of production, both before and after antimicrobial treatments. Several types of bacteria were tested for, including general bacterial counts (Rapid Aerobic Count), Enterobacteriaceae, Campylobacter, and Salmonella. The results showed that the MicroTally® Mitt performed similarly to the rinse method when used early in processing, before antimicrobial interventions. After treatments, bacterial levels dropped significantly across all methods, making comparisons more difficult. Genetic testing revealed multiple strains of Salmonella in many samples, with Kentucky, Typhimurium, and Infantis being the most common. Overall, the study confirmed that antimicrobial treatments are effective at reducing foodborne pathogens in poultry processing, and that the MicroTally® Mitt may be a useful tool for early-stage detection.

Technical Abstract: The consumption of poultry products continues to rise in the United States, highlighting the importance of mitigating foodborne pathogens during poultry processing. Developing new methodologies to improve the detection of pathogens within production plants is essential to protect food safety. The growing demand for a more representative sample and desire to improve bacterial detection has led to the use of new sample collection tools. The objective was to evaluate one such tool, the MicroTally® Mitt, compared to the traditional carcass or parts rinsing method for detecting Rapid Aerobic Count (RAC), Enterobacteriaceae (EB), Campylobacter, and Salmonella before and after antimicrobial interventions. Additionally, the polymer mitt was tested for its utility in collecting a composite sample (multi-mitt). Three commercial broiler processing establishments were each visited twice. Samples were collected at hot rehang (n = 150), post-chill (n = 150), and in wings before and after antimicrobial application (n = 136 and n=147, respectively). A total of 233 whole carcass rinses (WCR), 233 single mitts, and 117 multi-mitts were collected. As expected, recovery was greatest at hot rehang for all microbial counts (RAC, EB, Campylobacter, Salmonella) and lowest post-chill. Deep serotyping of Salmonella culture positive samples (n= 100) from hot rehang showed multiple serovars were detected in 53% (20/38) WCR, 58% (22/38) mitt, and 50% (12/24) of multi-mitt samples. These data show the polymer mitt had comparable bacterial recovery to rinses in hot rehang. Low bacterial recovery following antimicrobial interventions prevented further sample type comparisons at other processing stages. Overall, this study demonstrated that processing interventions effectively reduce RAC, EB, Salmonella, and Campylobacter in the plant.