Survival of Campylobacter jejuni during Poultry Processing and Pig Slaughtering

Experiments were done to assess the survival of Campylobacter jejuni during different stages of poultry processing and pig slaughtering. Natural sources of Campylobacter contamination, i.e., spinchiller water, chicken intestinal contents and pig feces, were used for this purpose. C. jejuni in chicken intestinal contents had D-values ranging from 0.18 to 0.39 min at 60°C to 1.96 to 10.82 min at 52°C. Experiments with surfaces of pig carcasses contaminated with pig feces and held in the cooling room of a pig slaughterhouse showed an overnight reduction of Campylobacter until below the detection level. Further experiments in the laboratory showed that this reduction was due to drying of the skin surface. C. jejuni was very sensitive to drying. When contaminated spinchiller water was spread on tiles of different materials (aluminium, stainless steel, Formica and ceramic), the organism survived as long as a moistened surface could be observed. They could not be isolated once surfaces were visually dry. Freezing affected C. jejuni only during the first few hours; after an initial drop of number, Campylobacter could survive on chicken carcasses and chicken livers at -20°C for more than 64 and 84 d, respectively.