Innovations Are Enhancing Poultry From Farm to Fork

Currently Dr. Singh and his UGA Poultry Science colleague, Harshavardhan Thippareddi, PhD, are studying the impact of antibiotic-free production practices on the microbiome of the chicken gut. “We are also evaluating the impact of antibiotic free production practices on antimicrobial resistance of Salmonella and Campylobacter,” Dr. Singh relates. “And we are validating the efficacy of chemical interventions against Salmonella and Campylobacter during poultry processing.”

Ice Slurry Chilling Medium

Researchers at the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI), Atlanta, recently completed a feasibility study using ice slurry (a mixture of tiny ice crystals and liquid water) as an alternative chilling medium for poultry carcasses.

“We looked at ice slurry both for its increased cooling capacity and antimicrobial properties,” says Comas Haynes, PhD, GTRI principal research engineer and project director, who supervised the study.

“We hypothesized that the ice slurry’s grain acts as a scrub on the external surface of the poultry carcass, dislodging or eroding skin-attached pathogens and releasing them directly into the chiller’s water,” Dr. Haynes relates. “This direct abrasion could possibly reduce bacterial loads and lower the amount of antimicrobials needed.”

Using different combinations of experimental factors, including peracetic acid (PAA) concentration, salt concentration, and immersion time, the researchers found that, on average, the ice slurry provided a greater reduction in pathogens than chilled water. Of note, Dr. Haynes says, slurry demonstrated the same antimicrobial effect with reduced amounts of PAA compared to chilled water and PAA.

“Our results support the hypothesis that ice slurry has a thermomechanical advantage over chilled water with regard to antimicrobial efficacy,” Dr. Haynes says. “We believe ice slurry holds promise for commercial use as a natural sanitizing aid for poultry chilling.”