New research article demonstrates the potential of SonoSteam technology in reducing Campylobacter and improving food safety and quality of freshly slaughtered broilers.
According to the WHO, diarrhoeal diseases resulting from unsafe food cause 550 million people to fall ill every year, including 220 million children under the age of 5 years old. The foodborne pathogen Campylobacter is one of the four key global causes of diarrhoeal diseases and is a common bacterial cause of human gastroenteritis in the world. The most common sources of Campylobacter are milk and raw poultry.
The Public Interest Research Group (PIRG), a federation of US and Canadian non-profit organizations, issued a report in 2019 describing a dramatic increase in food recalls (83%) between 2013 to 2018, where the highest proportion was attributed to poultry meat.
Interventions for decontaminating poultry meat are therefore much needed to combat the growing incidence of foodborne pathogens such as Campylobacter and Salmonella.
SonoSteam is a decontamination technology that uses only steam and ultrasound to reduce levels of bacteria on raw poultry meat. The potential of SonoSteam decontamination was evaluated in a large study using 648 samples from Campylobacter positive broiler that was subjected to the SonoSteam treatment. Results revealed a significant reduction in Campylobacter by 1.1 log or 90%. Furthermore, the study also showed an improved shelf-life effect through a significant-high reduction of Total Viable Counts and Enterobacteriaceae with 2.4log (99%) and 1.9 log (98%) reductions, respectively.
This technology is in use today at several poultry slaughterhouses and ongoing data are showing similar results.
This study was published by the peer-viewed Journal of Food Protection (JPF). The journal includes scientific research and authoritative review articles in the field of food microbiology and topics in food science pertaining to food safety and quality. JPF is internationally recognized and supported by the food science community.
Click here to read the research.
Would you like to learn more about this study and SonoSteam technology? Contact us for more information: www.SonoSteam.com