Progress 09/01/09 to 08/31/14
Outputs
Target Audience: The target audience for this integrated project are the beef, swine and poultry processors distributed throughtout the United States, the undergraduate students, graduate students and post-doctoral fellows that were trained on the best practices and the meat and food safety extension specialists at various universities. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Four graduate students were trained on the best practices for beef, swine and poultry processing and are currently employed in the industry resulting from their training. A post-doc and a technician were trained on issues in meat processing, mitigating the risks of foodborne pathogens during slaughter and fabiraction, advanced training on heat transfer modeling of meat carcasses (beef, swine and poultry). The students and the post-docs were able to present their findings at Conferences and interact with industry personnel as well as from academia. The graudate student working on heat transfer modeling of meat carcasses developed a unique method of "meshing" the meat carcass parts and is being sought to help with conducting similar research in human body parts for use in human medicial applications. The graduate students and the post-doctoral fellows will contribute significantly in the industry resulting from this training provided at the academic institutions as well as the interactions they had with the food industry personnel and the academia. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? The results were disseminated to the academia, including Extension personnel (meat and food safety) at various land grant institutions, and the industry personnel employed in slaughter and fabricaiton of meat animals (beef, swine, and poultry). What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Currently, two manuscripts are in various stages of publication (Heat transfer modeling of beef and swine carcasses). The products from these manuscripts (heat transfer models) will be incorporated into the "foodsafety.unl.edu" web portal for access by the meat industry personnel. Further, the heat transfer models developed will be useful for the industry in evaluating the microbiological safety and potential foodborne pathogen growth during cooling of meat animal carcasses. The models will be useful for the regulatory agencies for developing and/or modifying regulations on chilling requirements for the meat anmial carcasss, thus contributing to development of science-based regulations and improving the microbiological safety of meat and poultry.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Objective 1: Industry best practices were developed for beef, pork and poultry slaughter and fabrication. For the beef slaughter and fabrication, six small/very small beef slaughter plants in Colorado were identified for microbiological evaluation of sanitary practices during the slaughter process. Two of the plants were federally-inspected for beef slaughter operations and the four remaining plants followed custom-exempt regulations. Each plant was visited twice within two weeks for microbiological baseline data collection before implementation of best practices. Carcass sponge samples were collected (i) pre-evisceration, directly after hide removal, (ii) post-evisceration, directly after viscera and pluck removal, (iii) post-intervention, after application of an antimicrobial intervention or final wash, and (iv) post-chilling, 24 h after slaughter was completed. Samples were analyzed for total aerobic, total coliform, E. coli, and Enterobacteriaceae counts. After the second visit, plant managers were provided with recommendations for best practices and improvements for sanitation during the slaughter process. Plants were provided recommendations for changes (based on observations made during the first two sampling visits) or to add steps for improvement of sanitation. Three months following the second sampling visit, each plant was again visited for a third and fourth time, within two weeks, to collect samples for microbiological analysis. Overall, irrespective of plant and when sample collection occurred (i.e., before or after best practices were proposed), mean total aerobic plate counts of finished carcasses (i.e., post-chilling) ranged from 1.2 to 3.8 log CFU/cm2. Mean total coliform, E. coli and Enterobacteriaceae counts of post-chilled carcasses among all tested plants and sampling visits were <1.3, < -0.2 and < 1.7 log CFU/cm2, respectively. For poultry processing, six processing plants were selected in the Southeastern United States to evaluate the current practices. Surveys were sent to the plant Quality Assurance managers to determine production levels, antimicrobial interventions, and current pathogen testing practices. Then an initial microbial sampling (baseline) was conducted at each plant, at sites that included carcass samples before any pre-evisceration intervention, after exiting the inside-outside bird washer (IOBW), after exiting the pre-chiller, after exiting the primary chiller, and after exiting any post-chill intervention, as well as a water sample from each scalder, pre-chiller, primary chiller, and post-chill dip tank or finishing chiller, and finally a pooled manure sample to analyze incoming microbial load. Enumerations were performed for Campylobacter and Salmonella as well as enrichments for Campylobacter and Salmonella. After the initial sample set, each plant was suggested several changes to be made and once the changes were implemented a second sampling set was conducted to determine the effectiveness of these changes. Similarly, surveys were conducted for pork processing operations and processing operations were selected for further implementation of the best practices, followed by evaluation of microbial load and a subsequent evaluation of the microbial load following implementation of the best practices. Objective 2: The microbiological data indicated that implementation of best practices alone in beef processing operations was not effective in reducing the microbial population on the beef carcasses. Based on the results from the beef processing operations, the efficacy of antimicrobial interventions was included for the poultry processing operations. Improvements in microbial profiles as well as Campylobacter prevalence was observed subsequent to implementation of the best practices. Salmonella prevalence on the birds was very low in the pre-implementation sampling and as a consequence, did not show reduction subsequent to implementation of the best practices. Peracetic acid (PAA) was the most effective antimicrobial currently in use. The use of a post-chill antimicrobial immersion tank and/or use of Cetylpyridinium Chloride (CPC) spray cabinet also displayed a further reduction in microbial levels when the primary chiller was not sufficient. Slight microbial buildup occurred in the immersion tanks, however effective cleaning techniques and chiller maintenance may minimize these negative effects. Further research on the use of PAA, CPC, and post-chill immersion tanks may help further optimize plant pathogen control practices throughout the United States. Microbial build-up and higher survival rate of pathogens was observed during pre-implementation sampling. Proper cleaning of equipment as well as a regular influx of fresh water and antimicrobials into the immersion tanks for the broilers is critical to prevent higher contamination rates as a plant reaches the end of the production week. Proper cleaning and disinfection is necessary prior to start of the operations as the effectiveness of antimicrobial interventions may be reduced, and performance standards may not be met later in the production week. Variations in the of incoming bacterial load between plants and within each sampling period at a specific plant seems to be another factor that determines the level of microbial reduction as a result of the use of antimicrobials interventions in the processing plants. The incoming Campylobacter load from the farms can affect whether or not the antimicrobials and point of application of intervention are effective at reducing the pathogen to below detectable levels. One cause of this variation could have been the time of year each sampling period occurred. Noticeable differences in microbial reduction between intervention methods was observed. The use of PAA was observed to be the most effective antimicrobial for use within the primary chiller and dip tanks of processing plants, with lower log CFU/mL counts as well as fewer Campylobacter-positive bird samples than the plants that used chlorine. In addition, the use of Cetylpyridinium Chloride (CPC) in a spray cabinet as a post dip tank intervention point displayed the ability to further reduce Campylobacter counts to below detectable levels when the use of a dip tank was not sufficient. The use of a post-chill intervention displayed further reduction of microbial load in almost all samples, and should be considered as a strong method to further reduce pathogen counts on poultry. The use of a 2nd pre-chiller also displayed a microbial reduction on bird samples entering the primary chiller; however this may be inefficient if the primary chiller and post-chill intervention are sufficient to reduce pathogens to below-detectable levels. Slight levels of microbial buildup and cross-contamination were displayed in the immersion tanks of the processing plants, and the proper cleaning and maintenance of these immersion tanks is paramount to keeping this risk low. The use of best practices for sanitation alone is not adequate to achieve microbial reduction in meat and poultry processing operations. Inclusion of select antimicrobial interventions is necessary to achieve improve microbiological quality and safety of meat and poultry. Objective 3: An informal survey was conducted of the processing operations that participated in the baseline study as well as the implementation of the recommended best practices. Subsequent to the surveys, the best practices were amended and provided to the all the processing operations that participated in the initial survey. These amended best practices were incorporated into the current workshop being conducted on meat processing, such as the Nebraska Beef Scholars program, Beef 101 and others in Nebraska and the same information was provided to the Extension personnel that interact with meat processors in other states.
Publications
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2013
Citation:
Wideman, Nathan. "Evaluating Post-evisceration Processing Steps and In-plant Antimicrobial Treatments against Campylobacter, Escherichia coli, and Aerobic Bacteria on Poultry Carcasses." 2013 Annual Meeting (July 28-31, 2013). Iafp, 2013.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2013
Citation:
Cepeda, Jihan. "Development and Validation of a Heat and Mass Transfer Model for Air Cooling of Poultry Carcasses." 2013 Annual Meeting (July 28-31, 2013). Iafp, 2013.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2013
Citation:
Cepeda, Jihan F., Sohan Birla, Jeyam Subbiah, and Harshavardhan Thippareddi. "A Practical Method to Model Complex 3D Geometries with Non-Uniform Material Properties Using Image-based Design and COMSOL Multiphysics." IAFP Annual Meeting, Charlotte, NC
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2014
Citation:
Cepeda, Jihan. "Optimizing Air-chilling of Poultry Carcasses Using Aided Airflow in Carcass Cavity." 2014 Annual Meeting. Iafp, 2014.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2013
Citation:
Cepeda, J., Birla, S., Subbiah, J., & Thippareddi, H. A Practical Method to Model Complex Three-Dimensional Geometries with Non-Uniform Material Properties Using Image-based Design and COMSOL Multiphysics�.Excerpt from the Proceedings of the 2013 COMSOL Conference in Boston.
- Type:
Theses/Dissertations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2010
Citation:
Cepeda Jimenez, Jihan F. "Modeling Heat Transfer During Cooling of Ready-to-eat Meat and Poultry Products Using Three-dimensional Finite Element Analysis and Web-based Simulation." (2010).
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Under Review
Year Published:
2015
Citation:
J.F. Cepedaa, S. Birla, J. Subbiah, H. Thippareddi. 2015. Development and Validation of a Heat and Mass Transfer Model for Air-Chilling of Poultry Carcasses. Journal of Food Engineering.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2015
Citation:
J.F. Cepedaa, S. Birla, J. Subbiah, H. Thippareddi. 2015. Development and Validation of a Heat and Mass Transfer Model for Chilling of Beef Carcasses. Journal of Food Engineering.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2015
Citation:
J.F. Cepedaa, S. Birla, J. Subbiah, H. Thippareddi. 2015. Development and Validation of a Heat and Mass Transfer Model for Chilling of Beef Carcasses. Journal of Food Science.
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Progress 09/01/11 to 08/31/12
Outputs
OUTPUTS: Food safety management practices being followed during primary processing of poultry meat were conducted for processing plants in the southeastern states of Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, Georgia, and North Carolina. Of these plants surveyed, six plants were chosen for further investigation of unit operations and their impact on reducing and/ or inhibiting poultry borne pathogens, specifically, Salmonella and Campylobacter. The six plants that were sampled for prevalence of pathogens were picked after the results from the surveys were tabulated. The basis for picking these six plants were, number of birds processed in a week, similarities in unit operations being used for processing broilers, and vicinity to Auburn University for the sake of sample handling and testing. In addition to these factors, the type of antimicrobials being used in the processing plants was also taken into account to cover an array of widely used chemicals in order to demonstrate efficacy of various antimicrobials. We have completed the first round of testing in six processing plants and results for prevalence of Salmonella, Campylobacter, and general aerobic bacteria, total coliforms have been analyzed, Currently, we are in the phase of using the results obtained from the testing to share with processors and suggest changes in current practices that are being followed to reduce prevalence of these poultry borne pathogens. Initial findings suggest that processors have been able to control Salmonella fairly successfully, however the challenges still lie with control of Campylobacter, aerobic bacteria and coliforms. PARTICIPANTS: Dr. Manpreet Singh and Sarge Bilgili - Auburn University; Dr. Matthew Taylor and Davey Griffin at Texas A&M University; Dr. Harshavardhan Thippareddi and Dennis Burson at University of Nebraska; Dr. John Sofos at Colorado state University. TARGET AUDIENCES: Not relevant to this project. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.
Impacts
The results that have been generated so far from this project will be used to determine high-risk areas within the processing plants. Based on these findings, interventions and/ or better management practices will be developed for processors to reduce the risk of cross-contamination at the identified high risk areas in the plants. In addition to this, processors will also be provided information on effective antimicrobials through our surveys and testing to better control challenging pathogens such as Campylobacter. Not only do we anticipate better control of pathogens at the high risk areas within the processing plant, we also expect diligent use of antimicrobials in order to reduce the cost associated with it's use as well as its impact on environmental effluents.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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Progress 09/01/10 to 08/31/11
Outputs
OUTPUTS: The U.S. meat and poultry industry has adopted the HACCP system and implemented HACCP programs to reduce and/or eliminate food safety hazards, as required by regulation (FSIS, 1996). Subsequent to the E. coli O157:H7 outbreak in 1992-1993 in the Pacific Northwest, several large meat and poultry processors incorporated antimicrobial intervention strategies to reduce and/or eliminate E. coli O157:H7 from beef and beef products. However, most small and very small processors still have not incorporated these food safety interventions due to the need for large capital investment and lack of knowledge and resources. A survey tool for evaluating the current practices in the meat and poultry slaughter and processing industry has been developed and being administered. The results of the survey will guide the necessary assessments and needs of the meat and poultry industry for the development of sanitary best practices to minimize the risk of foodborne pathogens. PARTICIPANTS: Harshavardhan Thippareddi, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE Dennis E. Burson, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE John Sofos, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO Keith Belk, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO Matthew Taylor, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX Davey Griffin, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX Manpreet Singh, Auburn University, Auburn, AL Sarge Bilgili, Auburn University, Auburn, AL TARGET AUDIENCES: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.
Impacts
A survey tool was developed and being administered among the small meat and poultry processors. The results of the survey will identify the needs of the meat and poultry industry for development of best sanitary practices and development of Extension and outreach tools.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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