title: Effect of crust freezing applied alone and in combination with ultraviolet light on the survival of Campylobacter on raw chicken.
abstract: The application of crust freezing (CF) applied as a stand-alone treatment or in combination with ultraviolet (UV) light for reducing the level of artificially inoculated Campylobacter jejuni on raw chicken was investigated. CF air temperatures of -5, -15 and -27 °C (±3 °C) with freezing times of 70, 15 and 6 min, respectively, were used. The level of C. jejuni on chicken was also examined following subsequent refrigerated (0-4 °C) storage at 3 and 7 days. All CF treatments resulted in significant reductions compared to untreated controls (P < 0.05). Although combining CF with UV also resulted in significant reductions for C. jejuni, the combined treatments were generally no more effective than treatment by CF alone. Overall, the color of chicken drumsticks was not affected by CF treatments (P ≥ 0.05). In general, CF resulted in increased drip loss (P < 0.05), which increased over storage time and was greater at higher CF temperatures. The current study indicates that CF has potential for reducing the levels of C. jejuni by between 0.5 and 1.5 log(10) CFU/g and impacts minimally on the color of treated skin.
authors: School of Veterinary Medicine, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland.
authors: Pippa N
authors: PN
authors: Haughton
authors: James
authors: J
authors: Lyng
authors: Denis
authors: D
authors: Cronin
authors: Seamus
authors: S
authors: Fanning
authors: Paul
authors: P
authors: Whyte
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016123:Campylobacter jejuni / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000528:radiation effects; D002645:Chickens; D003080:Cold Temperature; D005506:Food Contamination / Q000517:prevention & control; D005519:Food Preservation / Q000379:methods*; D008460:Meat / Q000032:analysis / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000528:radiation effects; D050296:Microbial Viability / Q000528:radiation effects*; D014466:Ultraviolet Rays