Source: WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY submitted to NRP
IMPROVING MICROBIAL SAFETY AND MARKETING OF WEST VIRGINIA LOCALLY PASTURED BROILERS BY ESTABLISHING A MOBILE POULTRY PROCESSING UNIT THROUGH RESEARCH AND EXTENSION ACTIVITIES
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
ACTIVE
Funding Source
AFRI COMPETITIVE GRANT
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
1028249
Grant No.
2022-68008-37104
Cumulative Award Amt.
$299,192.00
Proposal No.
2021-09878
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Project Start Date
Apr 1, 2022
Project End Date
Mar 31, 2026
Grant Year
2022
Program Code
[A1701]- Critical Agricultural Research and Extension: CARE
Recipient Organization
WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY
886 CHESTNUT RIDGE RD RM 202
MORGANTOWN,WV 26505-2742
Performing Department
Davis College of Agriculture
Non Technical Summary
This research/extension integrated project aims to establish a mobile poultry processing unit (MPPU) for West Virginia small broiler producers to secure and promote poultry meat production, microbial safety, and marketing in WV. Broiler industry is imprtant for WV agricultual economy, however, the lack of slaughtering facilities becomes a major hurdle for small broiler producers to increase production and marketing. WV Farmers Market Association recently purchased two MPPUs to assist local broiler producers to be more efficiently in processing their products and increasing economic opportunities, but lacking the specialized outreach program for effectively implementing the MPPUs. Therefore, this proposed project aims to: 1) Assess the prevalence of Salmonella, Campylobacter, and Escherichia coli/coliform of broilers processed in a commercial MPPU and conduct plant-onsite training courses by in-person or virtual format; 2) Conduct an onsite validation test of three-step cleaning and sanitizing procedures on MPPU contact surfaces; develop good manufacturing practices and sanitation standard operating procedures; 3) Conduct a survey from WV local broiler producers and develop a MPPU microbial safety handbook; 4) Evaluate the economic feasibility of adopting the MPPU by local broiler producers though consumer surveys and develop an operational budget model for use of the MPPU by small broiler producers in WV; 5) Develop and deliver a workshop on MPPU processing to mitigate food safety risks for small broiler producers as a supplement for HACCP training course. Results will benefit the local governmental agencies for preparing regulations to mitigate food safety risks associated with locally processed poultry meat in WV.
Animal Health Component
100%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
100%
Developmental
(N/A)
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
71232601100100%
Knowledge Area
712 - Protect Food from Contamination by Pathogenic Microorganisms, Parasites, and Naturally Occurring Toxins;

Subject Of Investigation
3260 - Poultry meat;

Field Of Science
1100 - Bacteriology;
Goals / Objectives
The long-term goal of this proposed integrated research and extension project is to identify microbial safety risks associated with locally-produced broilers, to provide supporting documentation for implementation of a mobile poultry processing unit (MPPU), and to secure and promote small poultry meat production and marketing in West Virginia and the Appalachian region. The specific objectives of the project are to: 1) Assess the prevalence of Salmonella, Campylobacter, and Escherichia coli/coliforms of broilers processed in a commercial MPPU and conduct plant-onsite training courses by in-person or virtual format. 2) Conduct an onsite validation test of three-step cleaning and sanitizing procedures on MPPU broiler contact surfaces; develop good manufacturing practices (GMPs) and sanitation standard operating procedures (SSOPs). 3) Survey local WV broiler producers and develop an MPPU microbial safety handbook. 4) Evaluate the economic feasibility of adopting MPPU by local broiler producers through consumer surveys and develop an operational budget model for the use of the MPPU by small broiler producers in WV. 5) Develop and deliver a workshop on MPPU processing to mitigate food safety risks for small broiler processors as a supplement for a Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) training course.
Project Methods
Our approach for the proposed project includes onsite plant studies, interdisciplinary research, and community outreach. These activities will be complemented by carefully designed evaluation, dissemination, and continuation plans.The research and extension integrated plan under objective 1 is jointly developed with WVFMA and three small producers, who will continue participating in future experimental designs and onsite plant training courses. The WVSFC will coordinate timelines for sample collection, MPPU processing, results analysis, and feedback to the PD's team.Task 1. Assess the prevalence of Salmonella, Campylobacter, and E. coli/coliforms of broilers processed in a commercial MPPU. A total of 360 local broilers will be raised and obtained from 2 small broiler processors (stakeholders of the project, refer to their support letters). All broilers will be processed with an MPPU at a WVFMA designated place. The MPPU processing will include receiving birds, bleeding birds using a modified-kosher approach, scalding, defeathering, evisceration, and finally, carcass chilling. Figure 2 illustrates each processing step using an open-air MPPU from WVFMA. Broiler carcasses will be collected post-scalding/defeathering, post-evisceration, and post-chilling. Antimicrobial efficacy of chill water without (control) an intervention and with 3% vinegar water (determined by the stakeholders), 1,000 ppm peroxyacetic acid, or 50 ppm chlorine water will be compared in this study. Aerobic plate counts (APCs), E. coli and total coliforms (ECC/TCCs), and frequency (percentage) of Salmonella and Campylobacter spp. detection for cecae and broiler carcasses will be determined using standard isolation and detection methods.Task 2.Conduct in-person workshop or remote training course on MPPU processing.We will conduct an MPPU training course after completing Task 1. using the WVFMA's mobile processing unit. Co-PD Ms. Jones from the WVSFC will coordinate this one-day MPPU training workshop and PDs Drs. Shen and Kenney will be the primary instructors. The training course will be open to local, small poultry meat processors interested in implementing MPPU to process their birds. Due to the current Covid-19 pandemic and its unpredictable situation, the training workshop will be conducted in-person and/or virtually.Under this objective 2, the project team will conduct an onsite validation test using the three-step cleaning and sanitizing procedures with several commercial antimicrobials and sanitizers approved for MPPU poultry meat contact surfaces. We will also briefly demonstrate the treatment of wastewater generated from sanitizing solutions used to treat the MPPU. Lastly, we will demonstrate the importance of these interventions in the context of HACCP considering GMPs and SSOPs described for the MPPU. Under Objective 3, we will conduct an in-depth survey of 30-50 small local broiler processors in WV. Questionnaires will test their knowledge of poultry meat processing and related microbial safety concerns, including "worker health, hygiene, and training", "scalding and chilling water", "sanitizing and cleaning", "microbial contamination", "poultry wastewater treatments", and basic knowledge of "HACCP", "GMPs" and "SSOPs." The survey will also include questions on their current post-harvest practices, concerns over the currently employed methods, major considerations and barriers when deciding whether to adopt a new procedure such as MPPU, perceptions of microbial contamination, and information to determine interest in future poultry safety workshops.The PD's team will develop a 40-page portable handbook on MPPU processing related to microbial risks to product safety. The handbook will be written using concise, non-technical language with 15-20 picture illustrations. Under Objective 4, Dr. Etienne's research team will conduct a survey to determine consumers' preferences towards local poultry products processed using MPPU and whether they are willing to pay a small price premium for chicken meat with lower safety risks. Combining the cost data obtained from the onsite study in Objs. 1 and 2, we will conduct a cost-benefit analysis to determine net benefits to producers who adopt MPPU. Under Objective 5, We will develop and organize an extension workshop (February 28, 2025) at the Charleston Coliseum & Convention Center in Charleston, WV, on strategies to mitigate food safety risks for broiler growers and MPPU users. This workshop will be part of the 2025 WVSFC-HACCP training course, and will bring together WVU Extension Specialists & Agents, the PD's team, project stakeholders, and broiler processors from across WV to discuss the application of MPPU by small poultry producers. Speakers from various disciplines (e.g., muscle food science, food microbiology, and agricultural economics) will address a wide array of topics relevant to the proposed project.

Progress 04/01/24 to 03/31/25

Outputs
Target Audience:West Virginia and nearby state's very small locally broiler producers who are using or are interested to apply mobile poultry processing unit. Changes/Problems:We quest for 1 year NCE to complete the remaining objectives and tasks. Due to the impact of WVU RIF during FY2023-2024 with faculty levaing WVU and reorganizing OSP, it bothers PD's team to be fully focused on the project, however, we tried our best to complete the proposed projects as many as we can. We also included the surrogate bacteria in chicken mash feeds although they are not specifically mentioned in our grant proposal, but they are treated as emerging and underresearched potential microbial risks for the MPPU microbial safety concerns. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?This grant supported Mr. Corey Coe completed his PhD study and he sucessfully defended on Spring 2025 and sheduled to be graduated with PhD of food science and human nutrition focused on microbial safety of poultry meat on June, 2025. This grant also supported Mr. Joe Kartz completed his M.S. thesis defense andsheduled to be graduated with Ph.D. of food science and human nutrition on May 2025. The PD Dr. Shen joined theFSMA-Food Safety Prevent Control Alliance-University Extension Specialist representing West Virginia since Oct. 2024. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Yes, as mentioned eraly, the PD's team developed a Microbial Safety Handbook of Mobile Poultry Processing of Broiler Carcasses, which is adopted by the WV Extension Services-Small Farm Conference Center and WV Farmers Market Association. All small producers in WV who want to use MPPU for their birds processing must read this manual before they are allowed to use the MPPU facility. The PD's team completed aHACCP Plan of Mobile Poultry Processing of Broiler Carcasses, which will be used an a template for WV small producers to design their own HACCP plan. The PD Dr. Shen completed two extenison workshop one in-person at WV Small Farm Conference Feb 2025 and one on zoom meeting with WV Farmers Market Association in Feb 2025, both provides hands on experience for traning WV small producers related to microbial safety and quality of MPPU processing. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?The PD Dr. Shen and Co-PD Dr Kenney will complete the design and establish a SSOP plan for the MPPU processing as described in Objective 3 of this project. The PD Dr. Shen and his graduate student Ms. Carly Long will complete the validation study of applying vinegar water in the MPPU final chilling step which will be included a poultry farm pilot plant studies in addition to lab work. We expected at least 1-2 peer-review journal article, 1-2 conference presentations and 1-2 fact sheets will be generated in the next grant cycle.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? The PD's team completed a new edition ofMicrobial Safety Handbook of Mobile Poultry Processing of Broiler Carcasses, which is adopted by the WV Extension Services-Small Farm Conference Center and WV Farmers Market Association. All small producers who want to use MPPU for their birds processing must read this manual before they are allowed to use the MPPU facility. The PD's team completed a HACCP Plan of Mobile Poultry Processing of Broiler Carcasses, which will be used an a template for WV small producers to design their own HACCP plan. Dr. Joe Moritz and Dr. Shen completed two extenison workshop one in-person at WV Small Farm Conference Feb 2025 and one on zoom meeting with WV Farmers Market Association in Feb 2025, both provides hands on experience for traning WV small producers related to microbial safety and quality of MPPU processing. As requested by the WV Small Farm Center, the PD's group conducted the validation studies of applying vinegar for MPPU chilling process and conducted a MPPU microbial safety survey with 38 small producers in WV. The details are as follows: Weassessed 1) the knowledge of WV very small poultry producers' knowledge of applying MPPU and 2) evaluate efficacy of applying vinegar water against pathogens and surrogate bacteria during chilling of chicken carcasses. In Study I, an anonymous survey was conducted to assess the practices of applying MPPU from 38 very small poultry producers in WV. In Study II, fresh organic broiler carcasses were surface inoculated withSalmonellaTyphimurium, Campylobacter jejuni, and surrogate bacteria Enterococcus faecium followed by dip-chilling in refrigerated 0, 25%, and 75% vinegar water for 1 or 24 h. The broiler carcasses were then rinsed with D/E neutralizing solution in a standard poultry sampling bag for 30 seconds followed by 10-fold serial dilution and spread plating onto XLT-4, Brucella, and Bile-esculin agars (BEA) for S. Typhimurium, C. jejuni, and E. faecium, respectively.XLT-4 and BEA were incubated at 35oC for 48 h and the Brucella were incubated at a microaerophilic jar at 42oC for 48 h. Chi2 test and mixed model procedure in R-program were used for data analysis of survey and the 3 × 3 × 3 factorial design vinegar water studies. Survey results showed that only 34% of survey participants measured temperatures of scalding water, 22% added sanitizer into the chilling water and among then 25% use vinegar water, and only 19% applying antimicrobials during poultry processing other than chilling. Results of study II showed that chilling in 50 and 75% of vinegar water for 1h achieved 0.8-1.9 and 1.5-2 log CFU/g reductions (P<0.05) of S. Typhimurium, C. jejuni, and when the chilling time extended to 24h, the reductions increased to 2.2-2.5 and 1.6-2.3 log CFU/g, respectively. E. faecium showed resistant to chilling vinegar water with only 0.2-0.7 log CFU/g reductions, which are no differences (P>0.05) than the water only treatments. These results suggested that applying 75% of commercial vinegar water for 24h during chilling process is effective to control foodborne pathogens on broiler carcasses and E. faecium is a promising Salmonella surrogate during post-harvest chilling process, which will be beneficial for developing MPPU outreach material. The PD's team also conducted an additional study focus on surrogate bacteria on the poultry feeds processing, the details are as follows: We evaluated the thermal inactivation kinetic parameters of a Salmonella surrogate Enterococcus faecium during feed manufacture in a university pilot feed mill setting. A batch of 227 kg mash broiler feed was pelleted after being inoculated with 1,000 mL of nalidixic acid (NaL) resistant E. faecium (5.4 log10CFU/g) at 70o, 75°, 80°, and 85°C for 0 to 115 s. Bacterial survival cell counts were analyzed by spread plating onto bile esculin agar plus 200 ppm of NaL. Microbial data and thermal kinetic parameters [n=6, Global-Fit and United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)-Integrated-Predictive-Modeling-Program software] were analyzed by R-software (orthogonal polynomial model). Pelleting mash broiler feed at 70o, 75°, 80°, and 85°C decreased (P < 0.05) E. faecium cell counts by 0.81, 1.18, 1.69, and 1.94 log10 CFU/g after 115 s, respectively. D-values of orthogonal polynomial, Linear with Tail, Weibull models for E. faecium at 70o, 75°, 80°, and 85°C were 47.1 to 135.4, 42.1 to 135.2, and 51.4 to 118.8 s, respectively. These results suggest that pelleting at 80 or 85oC reduces E. faecium populations the fastest, and it takes at least 50 s to reduce populations by 1 log10 CFU/g at these temperatures. Thermal inactivation for E. faecium took longer and required higher temperatures in the feed mill than lab estimates, highlighting the importance of testing thermal inactivation temperatures in the field to ensure proper feed hygiene. In addition, the CO-PD Dr. Xiaoli Etienne's group completed the follow activities related toEvaluate the economic feasibility of adopting MPPU by local broiler producers through consumer surveys and develop an operational budget model for the use of the MPPU. First, A survey on consumer perception and willingness to pay (WTP) for MPPU-processed poultry products was conducted through Qualtrics. A total of 1,000 survey responses were collected. Using a choice experiment, we find that consumers are on average willing to pay $0.530/lb more for MPPU-processed poultry products. However, significant variation exists in individual WTP. Results show that information framing, i.e. how the information regarding MPPU is presented to consumers, affects their WTP. Our results further suggest that to promote MPPUs, policies should emphasize the benefit (positive information framing) of MPPUs, tailor outreach to different consumer segments, enhance trust through transparency and certification, and streamline regulations to integrate MPPUs into local food systems. Second, An abstract of the paper has been submitted to the Applied and Agricultural Economics Association 2024 annual meeting. A working paper has been completed as well, and will be submitted for publication in the next few months.

Publications

  • Type: Peer Reviewed Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2025 Citation: 1. Corey Coe, Timothy Boltz, Elizabeth Rowen, Joe Moritz, Gary Freshour, Md Shafiul Islam Rion, Carly Long, Lucas Knarr, Kristina Bowen, Jacek Jaczynski, Kristen Matak, Annette Freshour, Xue Tang, Cangliang Shen*. 2025. Thermal Inactivation of Salmonella Surrogate, Enterococcus faecium, in mash broiler feed pelleted in a university pilot feed mill: Microbiology and Food Safety Section. Poultry Science, 104, Article 104998.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Cangliang Shen and Lisa Jones. 2024. Microbial Safety Handbook of Mobile Poultry Processing of Broiler Carcasses. Adopted by the WV Extension Services-Small Farm Conference Center and WV Farmers Market Association.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2025 Citation: Cangliang Shen and Lisa Jones. 2025. HACCP Plan of Mobile Poultry Processing of Broiler Carcasses. Adopted by the WV Extension Services-Small Farm Conference Center and WV Farmers Market Association.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Carly Long, Cangliang Shen, Rebecca Stearns. Microbial profile of broiler carcasses processed at a University Scale Mobile Poultry Processing Unit. 2024 Poultry Science Association Annual Meeting, July 15-18th, Louisville, Kentucky, 2024.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2025 Citation: Cangliang Shen. Control of Foodborne Pathogen on Poultry Products. Colorado State University, Department of Animal Sciences, Feb 10th, 2025. (Invited by Dr. Peipei Zhang)
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2025 Citation: Poultry on the Go: Keeping Processing Clean and Safe with Mobile Units and a New Food Safety Manual. Joe Moritz and Cangliang Shen. 2025 WV Small Farm Conference, Feb 28th, 2025, Charleston Civic Center, WV.
  • Type: Websites Status: Published Year Published: 2025 Citation: Poultry Processing Using a Mobile Unit. Joe Moritz and Cangliang Shen. WV AgriMeats Excellence Webinar Series. 2025. February 6, 2025 1 hour zoom meeting. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tSKtCgKjzw&rco=1.
  • Type: Websites Status: Published Year Published: 2025 Citation: Challenges in Poultry Processing. Cangliang Shen. 2024. Poultry Podcasts. May 20th, 2024. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUN0tg2k0ck&t=707s.
  • Type: Websites Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Cangliang Shen. 2024. Applying vinegar water for chilling process of broilers for WV small chicken growers. (virtual Demo). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDChatnRy3w. Adopted by the WV Small Farm Conference Center.


Progress 04/01/23 to 03/31/24

Outputs
Target Audience:Small local poultry producers in West Virginia and neraby states who are currently using mobile poultry processing unit or are interested to use this equipment/facility. Changes/Problems:For the past FY22 to FY23 cycle, WVU went though the painful acacemic tranformation process with reducation-in-force tasks resulting numerious faculty members leaving the university. Thisuncertainty more or less affected the project progress since we were worried about our job security in our university. However, we tried our best to achieve our planned project goals as many as we can. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?As mentioned early, we developedaMobile Poultry Processing Microbial Safety Handbook, whichhas been adopted by the WV Small Farm Center and WV Farmers Market Association as food safety guidelines for WV very small poultry processors. The phD student Dr. Rebecca Stearns currently is working in a very small poultry farm and the same time working part time as a dietitian for food safety consultant in a WV local hospital. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The stakeholder West Virginia Farmers Market Association have been asking for the PD's team to provide inputs for their rental contract of the MPPU units, which specifies the requirement for the post-processing clean and sanitization procedures. A newMobile Poultry Processing Microbial Safety Handbook, whichhas been adopted by the WV Small Farm Center and WV Farmers Market Association as food safety guidelines for WV very small poultry processors. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We plan to completecomplete the survey of MPPU for WV small local farmers and complete the validation studies of applying vinegar water for inactivating foodborne pathogens on MPPU processed chicken meat. Results will be presented at 2023 Poultry Science Association Annunal Conference and submitted and published in peer-review journal such as poultry science journal. We will start to develop HACCP plan for the MPPU. Overall, we expect that at least 1-2 peer review publications, 1-2 extension publications, and 2-3 short training material will be generated as outcomes for the next year grant cycle.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? We recruited, Gary Freshour,Corey Coe and Rebecca Stearns threePhD students and one undergraduate student Carly Long to conduct this project. Dr. Rebecca Stearns sucessfully defended her PhD degree in Dec 2023. Ms. Carly Long was accepted as a new PhD student to continute to do this project. We completed one reserach objective as "Microbial Profile of Broiler Carcasses Processed at A University Scale Mobile Poultry Processing Unit".This study evaluated the microbial safety of broiler processed in a MPPU in WV. This study assessed aerobic plate counts (APCs), E. coli counts and the presence/absence of Salmonella and Campylobacter on 96 broiler carcasses following each MPPU step of scalding, eviscerating, and chilling. Samples were either chilled in ice water only (W) or ice water with 5 ppm chlorine (CW). The highest number of bacteria recovered from carcasses were APCs (4.21 log10CFU/mL) and E. coli (3.77 log10CFU/mL; P = 0.02). A total reduction of 0.30 (P = 0.10) and 0.63 (P = 0.01) log10CFU/mL for APCs and E. coli, respectively, occurred from chilling carcasses in CW. Overall, results show that E. coli, Salmonella, and Campylobacter were significantly (P < 0.05) reduced from the initial scalding to the chilling step. However, Salmonella frequency doubled (15.63-34.38%) after the evisceration step, indicating that washing carcasses after evisceration may be a critical control point in preventing cross-contamination by Salmonella. Proper chilling is also an important microbial mitigation step in MPPU processing. Results indicate that Campylobacter was more resistant to chilling than Salmonella. Campylobacter was not completely inactivated until carcasses were chilled in CW, whereas W was sufficient to reduce Salmonella on carcasses. The results led to the conclusion that although 5 ppm chlorine (Cl2) achieved more bacterial reductions than water alone, the reductions were not always significant (P > 0.05). Further MPPU studies are needed to verify more effective chilling and processing strategies. We completed the outreach activties inlcuding developing a Mobile Poultry Processing Microbial Safety Handbook, whichhas been adopted by the WV Small Farm Center and WV Farmers Market Association as food safety guidelines for WV very small poultry processors. The PD's team also developed a 15 min training vidoe titled as "Mobile Poultry Processing Microbial Safety Concern. (virtual Demo). which is available athttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWobhBIuBoE&t=80s. with the Whole program website: https://www.wvfarmers.org/poultry-trailer/. We started the outreach survey related to the current knowlege and microbial safety concern related to MPPU processing from WV very small poultry producers.

Publications

  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Rebecca Stearns, Kristina Bowen, Robert L. Taylor, Jr., Joe Moritz, Kristen Matak, Janet Tou, Annette Freshour, Jacek Jaczynski, Timothy Boltz, Xiang Li, and Cangliang Shen*. 2024. Microbial Profile of Broiler Carcasses Processed at A University Scale Mobile Poultry Processing Unit. Poultry Science, 103, Article 103576.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Cangliang Shen and Lisa Jones. 2023. Microbial Safety Handbook of Mobile Poultry Processing of Broiler Carcasses. Adopted by the WV Extension Services-Small Farm Conference Center and WV Farmers Market Association.
  • Type: Websites Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Cangliang Shen. 2023. Mobile Poultry Processing Microbial Safety Concern. (virtual Demo). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWobhBIuBoE&t=80s. Whole program website: https://www.wvfarmers.org/poultry-trailer/.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Cangliang Shen, and Thomas Alter. Novel Approaches to Reduce Campylobacter at Poultry Slaughter and Processing in Europe and North America- 2nd section title Research Updates for controlling of Campylobacter on Poultry Products For S33-Symposium Campylobacter-Associated Food Safety, 2023 Annual Meeting of International Association of Food Protection. July 16th to July 19th, Toronto, Canada.


Progress 04/01/22 to 03/31/23

Outputs
Target Audience:Small local poultry producers in West Virginia and neraby states. Changes/Problems:Due to the WVU-OSP delaying the processing of this grant funds, the budget was available to use until Oct 2022, although the start date was set at April 1st, 2022. Therefore, in this short period of project time, we tried our best to complete the proposed objectives as much as we can. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?We recruited Corey Coe and Rebecca Stearns two PhD students and one undergraduate student Carly Long to conduct this project.Ms. Stearns and Mr. Coe are expected to defend in fall 2023 and Spring 2024, and Ms. Long is expected to continue her MS studies in the PD Dr. Shen's lab. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The stakeholder West Virginia Farmers Market Association have been asking for the PD's team to provide inputs for their rental contract of the MPPU units, which specifies the requirment for the post-processing clean and sanitization procedures. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We plan to complete the 2nd replicate of the MPPU trial at WVU poultry farm, and complete the survey of MPPU for WV small local farmers. Results will be presented at 2023 Poultry Science Association Annunal Conference and submitted and published in peer-review journal. We will make at least 1 fact sheet/extension notes and 3-5 short training vidoes related to MPPU microbial safety training. We will also start to develop HACCP plan for the MPPU. Overall, we expect that at least 1-2 peer review publications, 1-2 extension publications, and 2-3 short training material will be generated as outcomes for the next year grant cycle.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Due to the WVU-OSP delaying the processing of this grant funds, the budget was available to use until Oct 2022, therefore, in this short period of project time, we tried our best to complete the proposed objectives. We recruited Corey Coe and Rebecca Stearns two PhD students and one undergraduatestudent Carly Long to conduct this project.First, we completed a preliminary study for "Thermal Inactivation of Salmonella Typhimurium and the surrogate Enterococcus faecium in Mash Broiler Feed in A Laboratory Scale Circulated Thermal Bath".This study compares kinetic parameters of Salmonella and the surrogate Enterococcus faecium in mash broiler feed during thermal inactivation. Two-gram samples of mash broiler feed were added into a filtered sample bag and inoculated with nalidixic acid (NaL, 200 ppm) resistant S. Typhimurium or E. faecium, followed by vacuum-packaging and heating in a circulated thermal water bath at 75°, 85°, and 95°C for 0 to 180 s. Counts of bacterial survival were analyzed on tryptic soy agar and bile esculin agar plus 200 ppm of NaL. Microbial data and thermal kinetic parameters [n=8, Global-Fit and United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)-Integrated-Predictive-Modeling-Program software] were analyzed by JMP software. Heating mash broiler feed at 75°, 85°, and 95°C decreased (P < 0.05) Salmonella cell counts by > 6 log10CFU/g after 180, 60, and 50 s, respectively. Heating E. faecium in feed at 75°, 85°, and 95°C for 180, 120, and 70 s achieved reductions of 3, 6, and > 6.5 log10CFU/g, respectively. D-values of linear, Weibull models, and z-value of Salmonella at 75°, 85°, and 95°C were 1.8 to 11.2, 4.2 to 21.8, and 28.6 s, respectively, which were lower (P < 0.05) than those of E. faecium (3.7 to 18.1, 8.5 to 34.4, and 34.1 s). Linear with Tail, Linear with Tail and Shoulder, and Weibull with tail equations revealed that E. faecium were more resistant (P < 0.05) to heat than Salmonella as shown by longer "Shoulder-time" (26.5 vs 16.2 s) and greater "Tail" effect (4.4 to 4.5 vs 2.5 to 2.6 log10CFU/g). Results clearly suggested that E. faecium can be used as a surrogate for Salmonella to validate thermal inactivation during feed manufacture. Results of this study establish a strong foundation for usingE. faeciumas a Salmonella surroagte for the proposed objective 1. Second, we completed the first replicate of assessing the prevalence ofSalmonella,Campylobacter, andEscherichia coli/coliforms of broilers processed in a commercial MPPU at WVU poultry farm and the survey questionaire has already beed developed and will conduct survey in the Spring and Summer of 2023, and the second replicate is ongoing. Third, the Co-PD Ms. Lisa Jones has been working with WV Farmers Market Association and established a website for MPPU training information for WV local poultry producers, and the PD Dr. Shen provide a short video demo course for "Cleaning and Sanitizing of Mobile Poultry Processing Unit". Last, the PD Dr. Shen gave 1.5 hourworkshop titled as "Process Control for Human Food Products" as part of the "Food Safety Extension Workshop, McGill University, August 31st, 2022 Zoom meeting."

Publications

  • Type: Websites Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Cangliang Shen. 2022. Cleaning and Sanitizing of Mobile Poultry Processing Unit. (virtual Demo). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ks9h0bTDr1c. Whole program website: https://www.wvfarmers.org/poultry-trailer/.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Cangliang Shen.Process Control for Human Food Products. 2022. Food Safety Extension Workshop, McGill University, August 31st, 2022 Zoom meeting. Available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bj8PzV0F-u4&list=PLh8k8L3SxcjPNAjbIWXKa_oqyD9Mxldgh&index=4.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Corey Coe, Timothy Boltz, Rebecca Stearns, Peighton Foster, Robert L. Taylor, Jr., Joe Moritz, Jacek Jaczynski, Annette Freshour, and Cangliang Shen. 2022. Thermal Inactivation of Salmonella Typhimurium and the surrogate Enterococcus faecium in Mash Broiler Feed in A Laboratory Scale Circulated Thermal Bath. Poultry Science. Article 101976.