Some chickens that enter the slaughtering sheds may carry bacterial pathogens in their intestines including Salmonella, Campylobacter, and Listeria monocytogenes which cause serious illness. The pathogens can enter processing plants on feathers, carcasses contaminated with faeces, and soil, then remain on equipment as biofilm until removed through cleaning and sanitation. Contaminated meat can result in potentially deadly illness, product recalls, even factory closures.
Keeping Poultry Plant Safe
Supplying clean, healthy, vaccinated chickens to poultry plants and applying the appropriate hygiene protocols that remove biofilms of Salmonella, Listeria and spoilage bacteria from processing equipment are critical to the production of safe product. Removing harmful biofilms involves applying an alkaline foam cleaner, a sanitizer and rinsing. The alkali removes the polysaccharide that pathogens secrete to protect themselves against fluctuations in temperature and moisture, and cleaning chemicals. After this, the biofilm residents are exposed to the lethal effects of the sanitizer (chlorine-based or peracid-based sanitizers). It’s important to note that applying sanitizers alone will not effectively remove the biofilm or kill the residents. Removal of the biofilm from its attachment to the surface of equipment is best achieved by rinsing with boosted pressure water (10-15 bars). Moreover, foam cleaning programs may be optimised by reducing the 5-step program to a 3-step program by using powerful, new alkali cleaners with sanitizing properties (cleaner/sanitizer). For example, the innovative products do not contain QAC as the sanitizing agent.
Credit : www.foodfocusthailand.com/whats-in/food-safety-in-poultry-production
