The body, which is part of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), said the work was carried out as part of its mission to develop alternatives to chlorine rinses – which are banned in the European Union. Poultry treated with chorine sanitisers have been outlawed in the EU since 1997 in what has become one of the longest-running trade disputes between the two economic powers.
Lauric acid rinse
The study – published in the International Journal of Poultry Science – found that using the cleansing solution to wash eviscerated chicken carcasses was effective in eliminating bacteria that cause human foodborne diseases.
Researchers Arthur Hinton, Jr., John Cason and R. Jeff Buhr conducted a series of tests and concluded the cleanser, comprised of lauric acid and potassium hydroxide, could be used to disinfect chicken carcasses during processing prior to chilling.
In one set of studies they found that different concentrations of the sanitiser were significant. Results showed that increasing the concentration of lauric acid to two per cent and potassium hydroxide to one percent of the solution generally removed more bacteria from the broiler carcass.
“That means that the concentration of the cleanser is an important consideration when utilising it as a sanitiser,” said the ARS. However
In another series of studies, Hinton and his colleagues used varying spray pressures (60, 100 and 150 pounds per square inch) and found that pressure did not have a significant effect on reducing bacterial contamination.
The researchers further examined the effect of time on the ability of the spray-washing to reduce bacterial contamination of carcasses. Hinton found that increasing the amount of time the carcasses were sprayed from 5 to 15 or 30 seconds resulted in significantly reduced bacterial contamination.
Addressing European concerns
The study said alkaline salts of lauric acid are soaps that can cut microbial contamination by acting as surfactants that help remove bacteria from meat surfaces. It added that since fatty acids already have GRAS status that are normally found in food, their use should not raise the same health concerns as chlorine-based washes. These substances have been banned in Europe on concerns over the formation of human carcinogens in the meat.
The 13-year EU ban on chlorine treated poultry escalated last year when the US asked the World Trade Organisation (WTO) to adjudicate on the matter. The US lost patience with its EU counterparts after a request in 2002 to lift the ban was ignored. Brussels also refused to change it stance even though the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) said in 2008 the banned chemicals were safe to use in poultry processing.
Bacteria Recovered from Whole-Carcass Rinsates of Broiler Carcasses Washed in a Spray Cabinet with Lauric Acid-Potassium Hydroxide by A. Hinton Jr., J.A. Cason, R.J. Buhr and K. Liljebjelke
Source: International Journal of Poultry Science