Post-Chill Antimicrobial Treatments to Control Salmonella, Listeria, and Campylobacter Contamination on Chicken Skin Used in Ground Chicken

Summary

Ground poultry products are frequently contaminated with foodborne pathogens. A large proportion of the bacteria introduced to ground chicken is likely to come from broiler skin which is added to achieve target fat content and maintain product texture and taste. Immersion treatments in either chlorine or peracetic acid (PAA) were tested as interventions to decontaminate chicken skin and meat prior to grinding. Chlorine provided no significant effect in reducing the number of pathogens in ground chicken made with treated skin when compared to water treatment, but it did help decrease pathogens in post-chill water. PAA was found to be an effective antimicrobial, not only in reducing the number of pathogens on ground chicken but also in post-chill water (p?0.05).

Situation

With intensified regulatory oversight, U.S. poultry processing plants should implement effective intervention strategies to control the prevalence of foodborne pathogens on poultry products. The prevalence of Salmonella in ground chicken is at least twice, and increases up to five times compared to unground chicken products. When making ground chicken, skin is normally added to meat in order to match the target fat content. However, a large percentage of bacteria associated with poultry carcasses are on the skin surface. The grinding process increases the chance of cross-contamination by increasing the exposed surface area and distributing pathogens throughout the product. The objective of this research was to determine the bactericidal activity of two commonly used antimicrobial formulations against Salmonella Typhimurium, Listeria monocytogenes, and Campylobacter coli on broiler skin used for ground chicken.

Response

In this research, antimicrobials including 50 ppm chlorine and 1,200 ppm peracetic acid (PAA) were applied in a post-chill immersion system to reduce the number of S. Typhimurium, L. monocytogenes, and C. coli on chicken skin used to formulate ground chicken. Known concentrations of the pathogens were inoculated onto the chicken skin and meat that were subsequently treated. Pathogen levels were determined before and after treatment and compared. A secondary objective was to examine the efficacy of these antimicrobials to prevent cross-contamination by measuring the numbers of inoculated pathogens that could be recovered from the dip solutions after treatment.

Impact

The effectiveness of antimicrobials against target microorganisms depends on the growth conditions (e.g., pH, temperature), presence of interfering substances (primarily organic matter), contact time, and concentration of the antimicrobial solutions. Antimicrobials were used to reduce the populations of S. Typhimurium, L. monocytogenes, and C. coli in ground chicken. Results from this research, suggest that using 1,200 ppm PAA as a post-chill, pre-grind antimicrobial would be an effective intervention strategy in reducing all three pathogens firmly attached to the chicken skin used in the formulation of ground chicken without any negative organoleptic effect. PAA would also be an effective antimicrobial for preventing cross-contamination between the skin pieces and parts used to formulate ground or comminuted chicken meat products.

State Issue

Food Safety

Details

• Year: 2016
• Geographic Scope: National
• County: Clarke
• Program Areas:
  • Agriculture & Natural Resources