Industries

Expertise + Innovation

About

Contact

+1.800.511.1659

Efficacy of Sterilex PerQuat® Technology
against Salmonella Serovars

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has proposed a new framework to better reduce Salmonella in raw poultry products from production to consumption.

FSIS has worked to reduce Salmonella infections in protein products as part of the broader Healthy People program by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Despite these efforts, the targets for 2010 and 2020 were not met. Salmonella cases have remained steady at about 15 per 100,000 people. To achieve the 2030 target of lowering infections to 11.5 per 100,000 people, the USDA is stepping up its control efforts, beginning with the supply chain.


Salmonella bacteria cause 1.35 million infections, 26,500 hospitalizations and 420 deaths annually in the United States alone, with food, particularly poultry, being a leading source of these infections.*

*According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

This marks a significant shift in Salmonella control. Now, more responsibility to prevent food safety incidents caused by Salmonella shifts to processes, requiring protein processors to operate under stricter Salmonella control guidelines. The proposed regulations place particular emphasis on Salmonella serotypes (or serovars): Enteritidis, Typhimurium and I4,[5],12:i:- for chicken products and Hadar, Typhimurium and Muenchen for turkey products.

The Proposed Framework

COMPONENT 1: Testing Incoming Flocks
Poultry flocks must be tested for Salmonella before entering processing establishments. Early detection of Salmonella can help prevent the spread of contamination throughout the processing stages.

COMPONENT 2: Enhanced Process Control Monitoring
Establishments will need to improve their monitoring processes and comply with FSIS verification to ensure better control over Salmonella contamination during the slaughter process. Facilities will need to conduct tests for aerobic plate count bacteria at critical points, such as the rehang stage and after carcass cooling. The results from these tests will be crucial in developing a statistical process control system to effectively manage Salmonella levels.

COMPONENT 3: Enforceable Final Product Standards
The framework introduces enforceable standards for final poultry products, ensuring they meet stringent safety criteria before reaching consumers. According to the FSIS, raw chicken carcasses, chicken parts, ground chicken and ground turkey are considered adulterated if they contain any type of Salmonella at or above 10 colony-forming units per gram, milliliter or any detectable level of the five serovars of concerns.

If approved, this framework could significantly reduce foodborne illnesses in the U.S. However, it will also present new compliance challenges for protein processors while they strive to protect their margins.

Navigating the USDA’s proposed Salmonella regulations requires a partner with deep expertise in live production and protein processing. This efficacy study compares five Salmonella isolates representing five serovars known to be
associated with human illness including four serovars listed in the proposed regulation.

Fill out the form to download a PDF of the full whitepaper.

QUESTIONS?

"*" indicates required fields

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.