Acidified Sodium Chlorite Antimicrobial Treatment of Broiler Carcasses

Abstract

An acidified sodium chlorite (ASC) solution was investigated for its antimicrobial effects on broiler carcasses processed under conditions similar to those used in U.S. commercial poultry facilities. Of particular interest was the ability of the ASC solution to reduce natural bioburden in a prechill procedure. A number of parameters such as pretreatment washing of carcasses with water (no wash versus water wash), ASC concentration (500, 850, and 1,200 ppm), method of application (spray versus dip), and method of acid activation (phosphoric acid versus citric acid) were explored to evaluate disinfection conditions. ASC dip solutions (18.9 liters) were freshly prepared for groups of five prechill eviscerated carcasses per treatment (n = 10 carcasses). ASC treatment was shown to be an effective method for significantly reducing naturally occurring microbial contamination on carcasses. Reductions following immersion dipping were demonstrated at all disinfectant concentrations for total aerobes (82.9 to 90.7%), Escherichia coli (99.4 to 99.6%), and total coliforms (86.1 to 98.5%). Additionally, testing showed that ASC solutions maintained stable pH and minimal chlorite ion concentration deviations throughout each treatment. The results of the parameter evaluations indicated that maximal antimicrobial activity was achieved in carcasses that were prewashed and then exposed to a 5-s dip in a solution containing phosphoric acid- or citric acid-activated ASC. At 1,200 ppm ASC, a mild but transitory whitening of the skin was noted on dipped carcasses. The results support the methods currently approved by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for the use of ASC solutions as a prechill antimicrobial intervention in U.S. poultry processing plants.

Antimicrobial activity of decontamination treatments for poultry carcasses: A literature survey

“…These reductions were mainly obtained for naturally contaminated poultry carcasses and parts. Increasing the ASC concentration in the immersion solution from 500 ppm to 1200 ppm increased the reductions of coliforms by 1.1 log CFU ml À1 , whereas the results of aerobic bacteria or E. coli were hardly influenced (Kemp, Aldrich, & Waldroup, 2000). Comparison of ASC immersion and spray treatment in the study of Sinhamahapatra et al (2004) showed that immersion yielded slightly higher reductions (0.3 log CFU cm À2 ) for aerobic bacteria and coliforms than spraying.…”

Kinetics of the Inactivation of <i>Vibrio parahaemolyticus</i> in Weakly Acidic Sodium Chlorite Solution

“…These findings indicated that HClO 2 was the active species governing the inactivation of V. parahaemolyticus. It is believed that the strong antimicrobial activity of the electrically neutral undissociated form of the oxychloro compounds, such as HClO and HClO 2 , can be attributed to its ability to penetrate into the microbial cell across the cell membrane, i.e., the lipid bilayer Fukuzaki, 2006;Horiguchi et al, 2015;Kemp, 2000 . Consequently, HClO 2 can attack cellular components inside the cell, thereby giving a strong antimicrobial activity.…”

Antimicrobial Activity and Stability of Weakly Acidified Chlorous Acid Water

“…Thus, pH control is one strategy to increase the antimicrobial activity of NaClO 2 . Acidification of NaClO 2 solutions produces chlorous acid HClO 2 , and this acid is capable of penetrating the bacterial membrane, and exerts its bactericidal effect by affecting protein functions inside cells Kemp et al, 2000 . However, HClO 2 is rapidly converted to chlorine dioxide ClO 2 under strong acidic conditions as in ASC Gordon et al, 1972 ; thus ClO 2 is considered to be a principle component of the strong antimicrobial activity observed for ASC.…”