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Sampling naturally contaminated broiler carcasses for Salmonella by three different methods.
N A Cox1, R J Buhr2, D P Smith3
1U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Russell Research Center, 950 College Station Road, Athens, Georgia 30605, USA. nelson.cox@ars.usda.gov.
Journal of Food Protection
|March 29, 2014
Summary
Whole-carcass enrichment (WCE) is superior for detecting Salmonella in broilers compared to neck skin (NSM) and carcass rinsing (WCR) methods. Post-processing chilling significantly reduces Salmonella detection rates, highlighting the importance of pre-chill sampling.
Area of Science:
- Food Microbiology
- Poultry Processing
- Food Safety
Background:
- Neck skin maceration (NSM) and whole-carcass rinsing (WCR) are common but insensitive methods for detecting Salmonella in processed broilers, leading to potential false negatives.
- These methods have limitations: neck skin is a small sample, and WCR may miss attached Salmonella and underutilizes rinsate.
- Whole-carcass enrichment (WCE) offers higher sensitivity, capable of detecting low levels of Salmonella contamination.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the efficacy of NSM, WCR, and WCE for detecting naturally occurring Salmonella in broiler carcasses.
- To evaluate the impact of pre-chill versus post-chill sampling on Salmonella detection rates.
- To assess variations in Salmonella prevalence between different commercial processing plants.
Main Methods:
- Broiler carcasses were sampled pre- and post-immersion chilling from two processing plants over two days.
- Three sampling methods were applied to each carcass: NSM (8.3g neck skin), WCR (400ml rinse, 30ml incubated), and WCE (carcass incubated overnight in remaining 370ml rinse broth).
- Salmonella presence was determined using standard microbiological techniques.
Main Results:
- WCE detected Salmonella in significantly more carcasses (32/40 pre-chill, 19/40 post-chill) compared to NSM (21/40 pre-chill, 2/40 post-chill) and WCR (24/40 pre-chill, 2/40 post-chill).
- Pre-chill carcasses showed a higher overall Salmonella prevalence (64%) than post-chill carcasses (19%), indicating a 45% reduction due to commercial processing.
- Significant differences in Salmonella prevalence were observed between processing plants (Plant 1: 20%, Plant 2: 63%) and between sampling times (pre- vs. post-chill).
Conclusions:
- Whole-carcass enrichment (WCE) is a more sensitive method for detecting Salmonella in broiler carcasses than NSM or WCR.
- Immersion chilling significantly reduces Salmonella prevalence on carcasses, emphasizing the importance of sampling before this step.
- Variability in Salmonella detection exists between processing plants and is influenced by sampling methodology and processing stage.
