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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Athens, Georgia » U.S. National Poultry Research Center » Poultry Microbiological Safety and Processing Research Unit » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #233488
Title: Eggshell surface and deep bacteria recovered from non-sanitized and sanitized broiler hatching eggs

Author
item STEPHENS, C - UGA
item Cox Jr, Nelson
item Richardson, Larry
item MAULDIN, J - UGA
item Buhr, Richard - Jeff

Submitted to: International Poultry Forum Proceedings
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/30/2008
Publication Date: 1/26/2009
Citation: Stephens, C.B., Cox Jr, N.A., Richardson, L.J., Mauldin, J.M., Buhr, R.J. 2009. Eggshell surface and deep bacteria recovered from non-sanitized and sanitized broiler hatching eggs. International Poultry Forum Proceedings. 88(S1):M13:143.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: This study was conducted to evaluate the superficial and deep eggshell bacteriology of hatching eggs sanitized in a commercial hatchery. Two setting buggies of hatching eggs (5,040/buggy) were sanitized the day prior to placing the buggies into the setter for incubation. Eggs were either spray or foam sanitized with 1,200 ppm of Byotrol G5 (comprised of 4 quaternary ammoniums and 1 biguanide biocide attached to a polymer core) and allowed to air dry in the egg holding room for 15 min. The control buggies of eggs from the same breeder flocks remained untreated. Ten eggs were aseptically removed from each setting buggy on the day of treatment, placed into individual plastic bags, and transported back to the lab. Each eggshell was rinsed in 20 mL 1% buffered peptone for 1 min and the rinsate collected. The eggshell was then aseptically opened, the internal contents discarded, and a modified crush-and-rub of the eggshell and adhering membranes conducted. The eggshell surface rinsate and the crush-and-rub rinsate were evaluated for aerobic bacteria (APC), Escherichia coli (E. coli), and coliforms. For nonsanitized eggs the recovered APC values were lower at 3.1 log10 cfu/mL for eggshell/membranes rinsates collected after the eggshell rinsates at 4.4 log10 cfu/mL. From the eggshell rinsate and the eggshell/membrane rinsate of spray sanitized eggs the recovered APC values were similar at 3.8 and 3.7, log10 cfu/mL of rinsate, respectively. From the eggshell rinsate and the eggshell/membrane rinsate from foam sanitized eggs the recovered APC values were identical 3.2 and 3.2 log10 cfu/mL of rinsate, respectively. The recovery of E. coli and coliforms was not significantly affected by sanitization as determined by eggshell rinse or eggshell/membrane rinse. These results indicate that sanitization of hatching eggs by spray or foam significantly reduces the level of bacteria on the eggshell surface recovered in a rinse, but spray or foam sanitization did not alter the level of bacteria within the eggshell/membranes recovered in a crush-and-rub rinse.