Chemical sanitizing agents and spoilage bacteria on fresh broiler caracasses

The effect of sanitizers on spoilage bacteria associated with poultry is not well known, and this study investigated this phenomenon. Pseudomonas fluorescens, Pseudomonas putida, Pseudomonas fragi, and Shewanella putrefaciens were collected from spoiled broiler carcasses. The following sanitizers in three replicate trials (Rep) were applied to the isolates; sodium hypochlorite (SH), quaternary ammonium (Quat), lactic acid (LA), trisodium phosphate (TSP), hydrogen peroxide (HP), and Timsen (TN), a novel compound containing a Quat derivative in combination with urea. SH eliminated growth of P. fluorescens, P. putida, and P. fragi, but did not consistently kill Shewanella putrefaciens at concentrations less than or equal to 50 ppm. Quat did not consistently eliminate any of the spoilage bacteria analyzed. At levels of 5% or above, LA eliminated or inhibited all spoilage isolates. At 0.5%, TSP eliminated pseudomonads, whereas a level of 1% or higher was required to prevent S. putrefaciens growth. HP was an effective sanitizer at 0.1%. Few spoilage bacteria multiplied in the presence of 10 ppm TN. S. putrefaciens grew when exposed to 10 ppm or 100 ppm TN in Reps 1 and 2, respectively. All of the sanitizers tested, except Quat, prevented growth of the pseudomonads. In general, S. putrefaciens was more resistant to sanitizers than were the pseudomonads.