Premium
Reducing Campylobacter numbers on chicken carcasses using lactic acid in processing plants
Author(s) -
Burfoot Dean,
Allen Vivien,
Mulvey Elizabeth,
Jewell Keith,
Harrison Dawn,
Morris Victoria
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
international journal of food science and technology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.831
H-Index - 96
eISSN - 1365-2621
pISSN - 0950-5423
DOI - 10.1111/ijfs.12912
Subject(s) - lactic acid , broiler , campylobacter , food science , chemistry , washer , biology , bacteria , genetics
Summary Four trials were carried out at a broiler processing plant to examine the effectiveness of spraying lactic acid solutions for reducing the numbers of Campylobacter on carcasses. The carcasses were naturally contaminated and treated after the inside–outside washer and before the air chiller. Carcasses were treated by spraying in a tunnel or with one of two hand‐held sprayers. Carcasses were treated with a 1.9%, 4% or 8% solution of lactic acid buffered to pH 4 using sodium lactate, and testing was carried out on skin samples from the breast or back/neck. Treating carcasses with 1.9% acid was not effective. Treatments with 4% acid reduced the numbers of Campylobacter on breast skin by 0.4 log 10 cfu g −1 or less and on back/neck skin by 0.8 log 10 cfu g −1 . Spraying with an 8% acid solution in the tunnel produced a 1.9‐log cfu g −1 reduction on breast skin but adversely affected the appearance of the carcasses. Further work is suggested with a 5% solution with consumer testing for acceptability of appearance.