Peracetic acid efficacy and decay kinetics in poultry processing under chiller conditions

Area of Science:

• Food Safety
• Microbiology
• Chemical Engineering

Background:

• Pathogens on poultry products present significant public health risks.
• Chilling is a critical control point for pathogen reduction, but sanitizer efficacy is not well-quantified.
• Existing studies often lack quantitative analysis of pathogen dynamics with sanitizer levels and exposure times.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify pathogen dynamics during poultry chilling using experimentally-informed mathematical modeling.
• To determine the influence of organic load, sanitizer concentration, and exposure duration on pathogen inactivation.
• To develop predictive models for sanitizer decay and pathogen control in poultry processing.

Main Methods:

• Utilized whole chicken carcasses in 10-L chiller tanks under realistic conditions.
• Monitored process water parameters and peracetic acid (PAA) levels up to 60 minutes.
• Assessed Salmonella enterica serovars shedding and survival with varying PAA concentrations (0-75 mg/L) and exposure times (up to 10 min), with and without organic load.

Main Results:

• Total dissolved solids (TDS) more accurately predicted PAA decay than chemical oxygen demand (COD).
• Low residual PAA (1 mg/L) inactivated bacteria with sufficient time, but >5 mg/L was needed for rapid inactivation.
• High organic load required initial PAA >40 mg/L and >2 min exposure for significant bacterial reduction.

Conclusions:

• Developed a mathematical model for PAA decay and pathogen dynamics during poultry chilling.
• PAA efficacy is significantly influenced by organic load, concentration, and exposure time.
• Provides tools for improving pathogen control strategies in poultry processing plants.