A new disinfectant technique for Campylobacter jejuni and spoilage bacteria on chicken skin using a high-pressure pulsed jet spray apparatus

Abstract

Campylobacter jejuni (C. jejuni) is an important cause of human gastroenteritis worldwide and chickens are considered to be a major reservoir of infection. Recently, a novel high-pressure pulsed jet spray (HPPJS) technique has been developed in order to increase the efficiency of surface cleaning using an intermittent spray system. We evaluated the efficacy of this new technique for reducing C. jejuni and spoilage bacteria on chicken skin. Breast and thigh skin samples were inoculated with C. jejuni and then treated with chlorous acid water (CAW) (200 and 400 ppm), sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) (100 and 200 ppm) or tap water using the HPPJS at 9 MPa for 5 or 15 s. The C. jejuni counts were determined by the most-probable-number (MPN) method. In addition, aerobic plate counts (APCs) and total coliform (TC) levels were measured using Petrifilm™. Treatment with CAW at 400 ppm or NaOCl at 200 ppm for 15 s showed the greatest efficacy, with reductions of 1.26–2.60 log10 MPN/cm2, 0.55–1.51 log10 CFU/cm2, and 0.92–1.78 log10 CFU/cm2 for C. jejuni, APCs, and TCs, respectively. These results suggest that HPPJS with chemicals is a highly effective technique for the reduction of C. jejuni and spoilage bacteria on chicken skin.