SURVIVAL OF BACTERIAL PATHOGENS ON ANTIMICROBIAL CONVEYER BELTS

Abstract

ABSTRACT Production of wholesome meat from a healthy animal presents a great opportunity for contamination of a wide variety of microbes, and the type of equipment used in processing makes a significant contribution to microbial contamination. In this study, we evaluated the antimicrobial activities of commercial conveyer belts manufactured to contain an antimicrobial additive against selected pathogenic bacteria, Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Listeria monocytogenes. Bacterial cells were inoculated on the surface of the belt products and incubated at 37C for 24 h before enumeration of viable cells. When three different antimicrobial belt products made of different materials (fabric, polyethylene and polyoxymethylene) were compared with respective controls without antimicrobials, all three products showed significant reduction (at least a 2 log cfu/sample reduction) in viable bacterial populations for both species (P < 0.05). These results suggest that the use of antimicrobial conveyer belts in the meat processing plant may contribute to the reduction of cross‐contamination of final products by pathogenic bacteria.PRACTICAL APPLICATIONSCross‐contamination of meat products by pathogenic bacteria raises a serious concern for public food safety. Among many factors, the equipment used in the processing can be a significant source of cross‐contamination of final meat products. Particularly, biofilm formation on conveyer belts is of great concern, since bacterial cells in biofilm can be resistant to sanitization and continuously released to the surroundings. Our current study evaluated the antimicrobial activities of conveyer belts containing antimicrobial compounds. The results strongly suggest that the use of antimicrobial conveyer belts could be a practical and efficient strategy to counteract the cross‐contamination problem arising from biofilms on conveyer belts and other equipment. This information is useful for regulatory agencies and meat producers to reduce food safety concerns associated with foodborne bacterial pathogens.