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Abstract
The USDAs Food Safety and Inspection Service implemented stricter performance standards to reduce Campylobacter within poultry processing facilities. As the worlds main cause of bacterial gastroenteritis, Campylobacter is commonly spread through poultry products and causes illness in approximately 850,000 people annually. The purpose of this research was to determine whether a low pH antimicrobial blend of sulfuric acid and copper sulfate, CMS PoultrypHresh, effectively reduces Campylobacter prevalence in poultry, including whole carcasses, parts and livers. Four studies were performed: 1) naturally contaminated, whole carcasses treated with a 20 second, air agitated dip of water, PoultrypHresh or no treatment. Rinsates were plated directly and after enrichment; 2) skin-on split breasts and thighs inoculated with Campylobacter and treated with a 25 second, air agitated dip of PoultrypHresh, water or no treatment; 3) inoculated poultry livers treated with a 15 second dip of PoultrypHresh, PoultrypHresh with surfactant at 0.2% (PoultrypHresh Plus), water or no treatment; 4) inoculated skin-on thighs treated with sequential 6 second dips of PoultrypHresh and peracetic acid. Treatments were water dip followed by water dip, PoultrypHresh by PoultrypHresh, peracetic acid by peracetic acid, PoultrypHresh by peracetic acid, peracetic acid by PoultrypHresh or no treatment. Results of this research demonstrated using PoultrypHresh is significantly effective on decreasing the prevalence of Campylobacter on broiler carcasses, parts and livers. The addition of surfactant enhanced the effectiveness of the chemical and further reduced Campylobacter on livers. Sequential dips exhibited interesting results. Peracetic acid dip followed by PoultrypHresh dip was significantly more effective than PoultrypHresh followed by peracetic acid. The sequence demonstrated significantly greater reductions than either peracetic acid or PoultrypHresh dipped consecutively. PoultrypHresh may be an effective intervention strategy for processing facilities to reduce Campylobacter. Sequential dipping may allow greater Campylobacter reductions and assist processors in meeting the strict performance standards.