Solution designed for reducing Salmonella
a rinse for the birds andmechanical pickers, according to its
manufacturer.
The rinse could help poultry processors reduceSalmonella contamination in plants.
Samples in broilers, ground chicken and groundturkey testing positive for salmonella at US slaughterand processing plants have surged since 2002,according to statistics compiled by the department'sFood Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS).
As a result the FSIS plans to concentrating itstesting at plants with higher levels of Salmonella.The unit will also make changes to the reporting anduse of the FSIS' Salmonella verification testresults.
SteriFx says that its antimicrobial solution couldhelp at a critical point in production identified bythe FSIS as a major point of contamination. In-planttrials using FreshFx demonstrate that the use of thesolution at the picker decreases the incidence ofSalmonella, the company claimed.
"The industry's all out effort to reduceSalmonella has led to an examination of the entireprocessing system to identify trouble spots, and thepickers have been identified by many as the one pointin the process that introduces cross-contamination,"stated John Dankert, SteriFx's chief scientificofficer.
The solution's non-toxic formulation will notdamage picking fingers, the company claimed.Treatments using oxidizers such as chlorine degradethe rubber of the fingers.
"FreshFx will not 'gas-off' at highertemperatures as some other treatments do, andfunctions even in the presence of the high organicload present at this stage of processing,"the company stated.
Broilers had the highest rates of salmonella, with16.3 per cent of samples testing positive in 2005, upfrom 11.5 per cent in 2002. The highest level wasreached in 1998, when salmonella was found in 20 percent of the broilers sampled.
"FreshFx can be easily introduced into thepicking rails, and the data show that FreshFx servesnot only to inhibit cross-contamination, but to reduceSalmonella incidence, even when Salmonella loads arenear 100 per cent," Dankert stated.
FreshFx solution is approved by the US Departmentof Agriculture as a antimicrobial processingaid, and can be used in various steps duringprocessing.
It is supplied as a stable concentrated solutionthat is diluted on-site for application, eliminatingthe need for any special mixing equipment or chemicalreactions.
