Assessing Salmonella prevalence and complexity through processing using different culture methods.

Area of Science:

• Food Microbiology
• Poultry Science
• Food Safety Surveillance

Background:

• Conventional Salmonella detection methods are time-consuming, taking up to a week.
• Previous research indicated a 24-hour reduction by combining pre-enrichment and enrichment steps.
• Optimizing Salmonella surveillance is crucial for public health and the poultry industry.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of selective pre-enrichment across different poultry processing stages, including post-antimicrobial intervention.
• To assess potential alterations in Salmonella serovar populations when using selective pre-enrichment.
• To determine if selective pre-enrichment impacts Salmonella detection rates compared to traditional methods.

Main Methods:

• Collected broiler carcass drip and wing rinse samples from three commercial plants at various processing stages (post-pick, post-IOBW, post-chill, pre/post-antimicrobial dip).
• Compared Salmonella detection using selective pre-enrichment versus traditional selective enrichment culture.
• Utilized CRISPR-SeroSeq for Salmonella serovar identification and relative abundance analysis in positive samples.

Main Results:

• Selective pre-enrichment showed comparable Salmonella recovery rates to traditional methods (48/180 vs. 52/180 positives).
• Salmonella incidence decreased significantly after antimicrobial intervention (66.7% post-pick to 8.3% post-chill).
• Four serovars (Kentucky, Infantis, Schwarzengrund, Typhimurium) were detected, with Infantis increasing in relative abundance post-IOBW.

Conclusions:

• Selective pre-enrichment is a viable method for reducing Salmonella isolation time without compromising detection accuracy.
• The method does not negatively alter Salmonella serovar profiles in positive samples.
• The study highlights the effectiveness of antimicrobial interventions in reducing Salmonella load during poultry processing.