Research – Enhanced elimination of Salmonella Typhimurium and Campylobacter jejuni on chicken skin by sequential exposure to ultrasound and peroxyacetic acid

Wiley Online

The present study investigated the effects of combined ultrasound (37 kHz, 380 W for 5 min) and peroxyacetic acid (PAA; 50–200 ppm) treatment on the reduction of Salmonella Typhimurium and Campylobacter jejuni on chicken skin. Ultrasound was not sufficient to inactivate S. Typhimurium (0.48 log CFU/g reduction) or C. jejuni (0.25 log CFU/g reduction), whereas PAA significantly (p < .05) reduced S. Typhimurium (0.93–1.59 log CFU/g reduction) and C. jejuni (0.77–1.52 log CFU/g reduction). However, maximum reductions of 2.21 and 2.08 log CFU/g were observed for S. Typhimurium and C. jejuni, respectively, for combined treatment with 5 min of ultrasound and 200 ppm PAA. Our results indicate that a combination of ultrasound treatment for 5 min and 200 ppm PAA was more effective in reducing S. Typhimurium and C. jejuni compared to the individual treatments, without significantly affecting the color or texture of the chicken skin, thus, demonstrating its potential to increase the microbial safety during poultry processing.