title: Effects of Chicken Litter Storage Time and Ammonia Content on Thermal Resistance of Desiccation-Adapted Salmonella spp.
abstract: Broiler chicken litter was kept as a stacked heap on a poultry farm, and samples were collected up to 9 months of storage. Chicken litter inoculated with desiccation-adapted Salmonella cells was heat-treated at 75, 80, 85, and 150°C. Salmonella populations decreased in all these samples during heat treatment, and the inactivation rates became lower in chicken litter when storage time was extended from 0 to 6 months. There was no significant difference (P > 0.05) in thermal resistance of Salmonella in 6- and 9-month litter samples, indicating that a threshold for thermal resistance was reached after 6 months. Overall, the thermal resistance of Salmonella in chicken litter was affected by the storage time of the litter. The changes in some chemical, physical, and microbiological properties during storage could possibly contribute to this difference. Moisture and ammonia could be two of the most significant factors influencing the thermal resistance of Salmonella cells in chicken litter. Our results emphasize the importance of adjusting time and temperature conditions for heat processing chicken litter when it is removed from the chicken house at different time intervals.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina, USA.
authors.forename: Zhao
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Food, Nutrition, and Packaging Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina, USA.
authors.forename: Hongye
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Food, Nutrition, and Packaging Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina, USA.
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ionita
authors.affiliation: School of Computing, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina, USA.
authors.forename: Feng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.affiliation: Department of Food, Nutrition, and Packaging Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina, USA xiuping@clemson.edu.
authors.forename: Xiuping
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Jiang
mesh_terms: D000222:Adaptation, Physiological; D000641:Ammonia / Q000032:analysis*; D000818:Animals; D002645:Chickens; D005243:Feces / Q000737:chemistry / Q000382:microbiology*; D006358:Hot Temperature; D050296:Microbial Viability; D012475:Salmonella / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000502:physiology; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D000641:Ammonia