Decontamination of poultry carcasses using steam or hot water in combination with rapid cooling, chilling or freezing of carcass surfaces.

The effects of the application of steam at atmospheric pressure for times up to 20 s on the numbers of inoculated Campylobacter jejuni and Escherichia coli on whole chicken carcasses were investigated in a pilot steam cabinet. Steam treatments reduced the numbers of C. jejuni AR6 by ca. 1.8, 2.6 and 3.3 log(10) cfu cm(-2) in 10, 12 and 20 s, respectively. Corresponding reductions in numbers of E. coli K12 were 1.7, 2.3 and 2.8 log(10) cfu cm(-2). However, such treatments caused the skin to shrink and change colour. The optimum treatment for maximum reductions of C. jejuni and E. coli, least skin shrinkage and change of colour was concluded to be <12 s. Further work was carried out to determine whether a modified air chilling system in combination with steam or hot water decontamination treatments could be used to reduce numbers of pathogens, particularly campylobacters, on the surface of poultry carcasses. Whole chicken carcasses inoculated with C. jejuni and E. coli were either not treated, treated with steam at atmospheric pressure for up to 10 s or treated with hot water at 80 degrees C for up to 20 s, then either chilled by crust freezing, chilled at 0 degrees C, or chilled at 15 degrees C, in a pilot chilling chamber. The optimum combination was treatment with water at 80 degrees C for 20 s followed by crust freezing, which reduced the numbers of C. jejuni and E. coli by ca. 2.9 and 3.2 log(10) cfu cm(-2), respectively, without extensive degradation of carcass appearance.

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