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<OL> <LI> Poultry Meat Safety: Production, processing, and packaging safety of poultry meat, through bacterial intervention strategies chemical, biological, thermal, engineering, and nutritional aspects. <LI>Poultry Meat Quality: Improving meat quality through application of technologies and processes. <LI> Egg Quality and Safety: To identify methods and procedures to improve and maintain the quality and safety of shell eggs and egg products.
Non-Technical Summary: This multidisciplinary study will develop strategies to eliminate disease-causing microorganisms as well as providing insight into changes in their survivability and potential pathogenesis caused by these interventions that have been enhanced through an increased time of action. Ultimately, the results obtained should be adaptable for commercial use as hurdle interventions to eliminate pathogens by food processors for the effective mitigation of food safety hazards associated with Salmonella spp. and Campylobacter spp. in poultry products. <P> Approach: The long term goal of this research proposal is to develop effective intervention methodologies by the use of combined antimicrobial treatments and viscous, solid and semisolid interventions to maximize the inactivation of pathogens in raw poultry products using Salmonella spp. and Campylobacter spp. as indicators. In addition, the shelf-life enhancement derived rom the use of these products will be also evaluated. One of the objectives includes the development and commercial validation of viscous water-based solutions, powdered, and paraffin wax-based carriers to deliver novel and commercially available antimicrobial interventions to enhance the contact time and action of the product against bacterial pathogens and spoilage organisms on broilers, turkeys and ducks carcass surfaces. Initially, all antimicrobial interventions will be evaluated on Salmonella-contaminated chicken parts. Using previously reported time/temperature conditions for each treatment, a profile of each method's effectiveness will be developed so that the information could be used in the predictive models for method selection. While it is recognized that laboratory preparations may not be truly representative of in-plant procedures, pathogens are not allowed in the pilot plants. Care and attention to detail to emulate in-plant conditions will be done to assure results that are applicable to industry. A Biosafety Level 2 facility will be used for sample inoculation and intervention applications. Evaluations will be done using whole, skin-on chicken breasts parts obtained from a local processor. To develop cost-efficient formulations of viscous water-based solutions, paraffin wax-based carriers and powdered-based carriers to deliver antimicrobials onto the surface of broilers, turkeys and ducks carcasses during processing. Enhanced viscosity will maximize the contact of the carcass surface with the intervention and will increase the total time of action and overall efficacy of commercially used antimicrobials. Products to be evaluated include commercially used concentrations of chlorine solutions (50ppm), acidified sodium chlorite (1,200ppm), tri-sodium polyphosphate, acidified calcium sulfate, chlorine dioxide solutions, organic acid solutions (citric, lactic, acetic acid at 2%), cetylpyiridinium chloride, and epsilon) polylysine solutions for a total of 10 chemical interventions. To validate the commercial application of in-line viscous antimicrobial intervention formulations, wax-based carriers and powder carriers in a small commercial facility before and after chilling by determining total bacterial counts, coliform and generic E. coli levels, psychrotrophic counts as well as Salmonella spp. and Campylobacter jejuni incidence.