No abstract

Chicken meat is widely consumed worldwide and in order to supply the growing demand, chickens are raised in large factory farms. To prevent contaminated chicken meat being released into the market, a good hygiene practice must be strictly followed. Materials utilized in chicken farming must be completely sanitized including the rice husks that are normally being used as a floor covering material. Aiming to improve rice husk disinfection protocol, infrared radiation (IR) was utilized as an effective, time-saving, and environmental friendly method. A proof-of-concept prototype of rice husk disinfection apparatus equipped with IR source and a rotating conveyor belt was developed. Finite element analysis using COMSOL Multiphysics to simulate heat transfer of IR irradiation to rice husk was performed. The effectiveness of IR irradiation method was analysed using the rice husks that were spiked with Salmonella typhimurium. The total aerobic bacteria plate count showed that the most effective IR rice husk treatment was at 120 ºC for 3 min of exposure time.