REDUCTION OF <i>SALMONELLA</i> ON POST‐CHILL CHICKEN CARCASSES BY TRISODIUM PHOSPHATE (NA₃PO₄) TREATMENT

Abstract

ABSTRACT The use of trisodium phosphate (TSP) in rinsing chicken carcasses was evaluated for salmonellae reduction. Post‐chill carcasses were dipped into a 10%‐TSP solution at 10 or 50C for 15 s. After storing 0, 1 or 6 days at 4C, the incidence and reduction of salmonellae were measured using a nitrocellulose (NC) membrane lifting technique, conventional culture methods and most probable number (MPN) technique. In a trial using non‐inoculated carcasses, the incidences of salmonellae were decreased from 12 ∼ 24% in controls to 0 ∼ 8% in TSP‐treated groups. When the carcasses were inoculated with S. typhimurium (2×10 4 CPU/carcass), the NC membrane lifting method detected 27 ∼ 46% less incidences of salmonellae in TSP‐treated groups. However, culture methods failed to show any difference between TSP‐treated and untreated carcasses. Another trial using MPN method showed a significant reduction of salmonellae (1.6 ∼ 1.8 logs) in TSP‐treated groups (P &lt; 0.01) at both 1 and 6 days. Although 50C‐TSP treatment gave 0.4 log greater reduction than 10C‐treatment, the difference was not statistically significant. Total plate counts (TPC) revealed a similar reduction trend to MPN results of salmonellae.