Abstract
In poultry processing plants, disinfectants are often added to pre-chilling water tanks to reduce microbial contamination. The present study aimed at evaluating the effect of five disinfectants (acidified sodium chlorite, alkyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride, chlorine dioxide, peracetic acid, and sodium hypochlorite) on the populations of food quality indicator microorganisms and on Salmonella Enteritidis (SE) in the presence and absence of organic matter. The results showed that chlorine dioxide and sodium hypochlorite did not reduce microbial carcass counts. On the other hand, acidified sodium chlorite, alkyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride and peracetic acid reduced total and fecal coliform counts. Peracetic acid reduced the number of psychrotrophic microorganisms. All products were effective in reducing SE counts only in the absence of organic matter. Acidified sodium chlorite, alkyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride and peracetic acid could be candidates for the replacement of sodium hypochlorite (commonly used in Brazil) in pre-chilling tanks.
Highlights
During broiler carcass processing, evisceration, carcass wash, prechilling and cooling steps can favor the dissemination of microorganisms and carcass contamination (USDA, 2002)
Salmonella spp., Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus are examples of foodcontaminating microorganisms that cause foodborne diseases in human beings. These bacteria are frequently found in contaminated chicken meat (Jakobsen et al 2012; Kottwitz et al 2010; Silva et al 2010), and should be eliminated or, at least, reduced in broiler carcasses
The addition of disinfectants in pre-chilling tanks is an important tool to minimize the presence of microorganisms in chicken carcasses during processing
Summary
Evisceration, carcass wash, prechilling and cooling steps can favor the dissemination of microorganisms and carcass contamination (USDA, 2002). Some microorganisms present in the broiler intestine, such as Salmonella spp., Campylobacter spp., and thermotolerant coliforms, represent a threat to public health (Scallan et al, 2011). From 1999 to 2012, the Brazilian Health Surveillance Division reported 1,525 outbreaks of human foodborne salmonellosis, most of them related to food of poultry origin (Brazil, 2013). In 2013, campylobacteriosis represented about 6.5% of all cases of human foodborne diseases in the United States of America (Crim et al, 2014) and contaminated poultry meat was the main source of this pathogen. The Brazilian legislation establishes that Salmonella spp. must be absent in broiler carcasses after processing (Brazil, 2001), but no requirements are established for the presence Campylobacter spp
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