Effect of lactic acid fermentation on bacterial pathogens and indicator organisms in broiler processing waste

Broiler processing offal (heads, viscera, and feet) was collected on 3 separate days from a commercial processing plant. Each sample was separately ground, supplemented with sucrose (6% initial concentration), inoculated with actively growing lactic acid bacteria (10(6) cfu/g of offal) from a commercial silage culture, and fermented at 37 C. Replicate samples were taken for standard microbiological analysis after 0, 48, and 120 h of fermentation. In fresh offal, heterotrophic plate count, total and fecal coliforms, fecal streptococci, and Aeromonas hydrophila concentrations were 7.4, 5.9, 5.9, 5.4, and 3.9 log10 cfu/g wet weight, respectively. After 48 h of fermentation, the bacterial concentrations were 7.6, 2.2, < 1.3, 5.5, and < 2.3 log10 cfu/g wet weight, respectively. After 120 h of fermentation, the bacterial concentrations were 6.9, < 1.1, < 1.1, < 1.1, and < 1.1 log10 cfu/g wet weight, respectively. Salmonella concentrations in fresh, 48-h fermented, and 120-h fermented offal samples were 3.7, < 1.5, and < 1.5 log10 most-probable-number/100 g wet weight, respectively. Lactic acid fermentation appears to be effective in reducing the number of bacterial pathogens and indicator organisms in poultry processing offal.