Effect of lactic acid fermentation on bacterial pathogens and indicator organisms in broiler processing waste.
Broiler processing offal (heads, viscera, and feet) was collected on 3 separate days from a commercial processing plant. Each sample was separately ground, supplemented with sucrose (6% initial concentration), inoculated with actively growing lactic acid bacteria (10(6) cfu/g of offal) from a commercial silage culture, and fermented at 37 C. Replicate samples were taken for standard microbiological analysis after 0, 48, and 120 h of fermentation. In fresh offal, heterotrophic plate count, total and fecal coliforms, fecal streptococci, and Aeromonas hydrophila concentrations were 7.4, 5.9, 5.9, 5.4, and 3.9 log10 cfu/g wet weight, respectively. After 48 h of fermentation, the bacterial concentrations were 7.6, 2.2, < 1.3, 5.5, and < 2.3 log10 cfu/g wet weight, respectively. After 120 h of fermentation, the bacterial concentrations were 6.9, < 1.1, < 1.1, < 1.1, and < 1.1 log10 cfu/g wet weight, respectively. Salmonella concentrations in fresh, 48-h fermented, and 120-h fermented offal samples were 3.7, < 1.5, and < 1.5 log10 most-probable-number/100 g wet weight, respectively. Lactic acid fermentation appears to be effective in reducing the number of bacterial pathogens and indicator organisms in poultry processing offal.
Department of Poultry Science, University of Georgia, Athens 30602.
S M
SM
Russell
D L
DL
Fletcher
O C
OC
Pancorbo
W C
WC
Merka
D000821:Animal Feed / Q000382:microbiology; D000818:Animals; D002645:Chickens / Q000382:microbiology*; D005285:Fermentation; D006090:Gram-Negative Bacteria / Q000187:drug effects*; D007773:Lactates / Q000494:pharmacology*; D019344:Lactic Acid; D014866:Waste Products
D007773:Lactates; D014866:Waste Products; D019344:Lactic Acid