Processors prevent Salmonella by using scientifically validated measures.
The bacteria Salmonella is found and prevented in meat and poultry by using scientific methods because it is one of the main causes of foodborne illness. The USDA and state meat and poultry inspection programmes, food microbiologists, meat and poultry processors, and food and meat scientists from land-grant colleges are all performing these tasks. For the last sixteen months, the COVID-19 epidemic has increased awareness of food safety.
Jonathan Campbell, PhD, an associate professor of animal science at Pennsylvania State University in University Park, Pennsylvania, and extension meat specialist, stated that the most common foodborne pathogen in terms of sickening people and threatening the meat and poultry industry economically. “As long as we eat food the way humans do, which means there will occasionally be problems with undercooked meat and poultry. The fact that so many of us are so ignorant about the origins of our food and its history is one factor contributing to this.
According to Jasna Kovac, PhD, assistant professor of food safety and food science at Penn State, one of the reasons salmonella is one of the most common foodborne pathogens is because it comes in so many varieties, or serotypes. It also spreads easily from human hosts to animal hosts.
Although it may live almost anywhere in the ecosystem, she clarified that warm-blooded mammals serve as its primary host.
defending goods
However, when discussing how to identify and avoid Salmonella, it’s critical to keep in mind the goods that meat and poultry processors produce.
At Sanderson Farms in Laurel, Mississippi, director of technical services Marty Ewing, DVM, stated, “We produce a raw poultry product, not a sterile product.” When uncooked poultry is mishandled, improperly kept, or cross-contaminated in the kitchen, there is a potential for the growth of infections, such as Salmonella.
To identify and stop Salmonella, the firm employs a variety of strategies and actions. These consist of commercial vaccinations, antimicrobials included in the bird food, and vaccines tailored to specific Salmonella strains or serotypes in the area.
We test in our actual bird houses as well. We assess the health of the flock prior to slaughter,” she said. A sick flock may have a greater level of germs. Avian breeders receive vaccinations. For certain Salmonella serotypes, injections are administered.
“We try everything, we vaccinate the broilers,” she remarked. As a result of our extremely small sample size, we are unable to conclude with statistical confidence which particular strategy has the biggest impact. Vaccines may or may not assist, according to Ewing.
However, USDA Salmonella levels on raw chicken are at record lows, according to testing. The USDA’s recently strengthened performance standards for Salmonella on whole broiler carcasses and standards for Salmonella on chicken parts, such as breasts, drumsticks and wings, are being met by the majority of sizable poultry processing facilities.
The production of poultry products involves a number of procedures, according to Brian Williams, director of processing at Sanderson Farms. However, maintaining a steady flow of products is crucial to removing any backup where cross-contamination can happen. Interventions occur on lines throughout the evisceration and chilling processes, as well as following the removal of feathers. Before birds enter the chiller and again after the chiller during the cutting process, peracetic acid is used as an antibacterial, he explained. Sanitising equipment is another usage for the antibacterial.
Cooling down is crucial function in avoiding Salmonella, he stated. “Chillers should operate in the 35°F to 38°F range. Our chillers operate between 33˚ and 34˚F, and birds can enter them in 25 to 30 minutes. It’s crucial to rinse and clean the birds as well, Williams added.
According to Ewing, there are 2,600 different Salmonella serotypes, but only around 20 of them can get people sick. She said, “That’s why vaccines are tailored to specific serotypes.”
According to Ewing, there are three main ways to avoid salmonella.
“In the plant, it involves chilling the birds properly, applying several antimicrobial treatments, handling the product carefully, and cooking it to 165˚F.”
Salmonella can be carried by plants, but it can be eradicated with the use of good manufacturing practices, standard operating procedures, and sanitation techniques testing electronic devices
Checking chickens for Salmonella and According to Luke Thevenet, a microbiologist and 3M Food Safety’s Pathogen Technical Sales Manager, the importance of meat products and plant conditions cannot be overstated, nor can the advances in technology.
3M’s Molecular Detection System is one example of a developed capability.
He added, “Moreover, the Microbiology Laboratory Guidebook for Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes, and Campylobacter testing lists the Molecular Detection System as their method in USDA.”
Thevenet emphasised that the identification and prevention of Salmonella in meat and poultry products depend on both environmental and product testing. The company provides eight distinct assays, including those for Campylobacter, Salmonella, E. coli, and STEC.
Thevenet said, “isothermal DNA amplification combined with bioluminescence is used for detection in the 3M Molecular Detection System.” This increases the customer’s power by making data analysis easier help make the best choices about infections, including Salmonella. Feedback from tests is crucial since it might indicate whether your hazard analysis is effective. It may be necessary to modify your HACCP plan if you’re seeing a lot of success, he advised.
According to Cargill Protein in Wichita, Kansas, salmonella is generally linked to meat and poultry as well as some non-meat food items, but it has also been connected to contamination of the manufacturing environment.
Angie Siemens, senior manager of Cargill’s food safety, quality, and regulatory department, stated that salmonella is more common than other bacterial pathogens in a variety of food categories, including non-meat and non-poultry foods.
Salmonella, according to her, is present in the conditions where livestock and poultry are produced, but it does not cause infections in animals. Paths animal contamination include surface contamination from hides, bug bites, and contamination. In addition to various internal locations in poultry, lymph nodes in pigs and cattle can harbour Salmonella infections.
Siemens stated, “To ensure mitigation of cross contamination during slaughter, sanitary dressing procedures are essential.”
She explained that as part of a strong food safety system that also includes HACCP procedures, Cargill employs organic rinses at different stages of the cattle and harvest processes. “However, unlike E. Coli O157:H7, Salmonella does not always live on the carcass surface, making it more challenging to mitigate with sprays.”
Siemens claimed that although government performance criteria have been used to lower Salmonella levels, their effectiveness has not been as great.
Sadly, increased performance requirements have not resulted in a decrease in the number of illnesses linked to in the US to fulfil the 2020 Healthy People targets, she noted, with regard to meat and poultry products. “Business is collaborating with government agencies and academic institutions to look for ways to lower the amount of Salmonella in live animals, poultry, and the ensuing production process. In addition, the sector has suggested that the government take into account substitute standards and metrics, such as the use of enumeration.
Cargill is funding pre-harvest research to find out how Salmonella infects livestock and birds. Kovac also mentions a tonne of research being done to provide better detecting techniques.
“Enrichment tests don’t indicate what the load of Salmonella is, even though testing for the disease can be helpful,” Kovac stated. It’s critical to understand the pathogen’s amount. Understanding the pathogen’s concentration can also assist the industry in determining the reason behind an amount that is more than usual. With this data, you may look into the matter and implement the necessary corrective measures.
Salmonella detection and control have to be top priorities, according to her. “One effective way to get rid of it is to cook [their meat] to a safe temperature, but not all customers want to or know how to do that.” Therefore, it is primarily the processors’ responsibility to take all reasonable precautions against Salmonella before the meat is consumed by consumers.
To address Salmonella, the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) developed a “roadmap.” FSIS is dedicated to improving food safety because the industry failed to reduce Salmonella cases in accordance with the national public health target last year to achieving that objective by 2030. Modernising inspection processes, switching to evidence-based verification, and conducting more microsampling—which is currently the case with chicken and pork—are among the USDA’s actions. However, FSIS is testing new methods for beef slaughter inspection that will enable it to target and manage Salmonella in both beef products and live animals.
The USDA has also taken initiatives to reduce pathogens, educate consumers, investigate outbreaks, evaluate new technology, and gather verification samples from inspectors and industry performance requirements.