Beta-resorcylic acid, a phytophenolic compound, reduces Campylobacter jejuni in post-harvest poultry

Authors: WAGLE, BASANTA - University Of Arkansas; ARSI, KOMALA - University Of Arkansas; UPADHYAY, ABHINAV - University Of Arkansas; SHRESTHA, SANDIP - University Of Arkansas; VENKITANARAYANAN, KUMAR - University Of Arkansas; Donoghue, Ann - Annie; DONOGHUE, DAN - University Of Arkansas

Submitted to: Journal of Food Protection
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/16/2017
Publication Date: 7/7/2017
Citation: Wagle, B., Arsi, K., Upadhyay, A., Shrestha, S., Venkitanarayanan, K., Donoghue, A.M., Donoghue, D.J. 2017. Beta-resorcylic acid, a phytophenolic compound, reduces Campylobacter jejuni in post-harvest poultry. Journal of Food Protection. 80(8):1243-1251.

Interpretive Summary: Human Campylobacter infections, a leading foodborne illness globally, has been linked with the high prevalence of this bacterium on raw retail chicken products. Reduction of Campylobacter counts on poultry products would greatly reduce the risk of subsequent infections in humans. To this end, this study investigated the potential of the phytophenolic compound, Beta-resorcylic acid (BR), to reduce Campylobacter counts on post-harvest poultry (chicken skin or meat). A total of four trials, two each on thigh skin or breast meat, were conducted in which chicken skin or meat samples (2±0.1g; 10 samples/treatment) were inoculated with a cocktail of four wild strains of C. jejuni. Following 30 min of attachment, inoculated samples were dipped in a 0, 0.5, 1, or 2% BR solution for 30 s immediately followed by vigorously vortexing the samples in BPD and plating the supernatant for Campylobacter enumeration. Additionally, the effect of BR on the expression of survival and virulence genes of Campylobacter were evaluated. Data were analyzed by the PROC MIXED procedure of SAS. All BR treatments significantly reduced Campylobacter populations on both chicken or meat samples by 1-3 log CFU/g when compared with non-BR treated washed controls. Real-time PCR results revealed that BR treatment down regulated expression of Campylobacter genes coding for motility (motA, fliA) and attachment (jlpA, ciaB) whereas stress response genes (katA, sodB) were up regulated. Overall, our results suggest that BR could be effectively used as antimicrobial dip treatment during poultry processing for reducing Campylobacter on chicken carcasses.

Technical Abstract: Human Campylobacter infections, a leading foodborne illness globally, has been linked with the high prevalence of this bacterium on raw retail chicken products. Reduction of Campylobacter counts on poultry products would greatly reduce the risk of subsequent infections in humans. To this end, this study investigated the potential of the phytophenolic compound, ß-resorcylic acid (BR), to reduce Campylobacter counts on post-harvest poultry (chicken skin or meat). A total of four trials, two each on thigh skin or breast meat, were conducted in which chicken skin or meat samples (2 +/- 0.1g; 10 samples/treatment) were inoculated with 50 µl (approximately 106 CFU/sample) of a cocktail of four wild strains of C. jejuni. Following 30 min of attachment, inoculated samples were dipped in a 0, 0.5, 1, or 2% BR solution for 30 s immediately followed by vigorously vortexing the samples in BPD and plating the supernatant for Campylobacter enumeration. Additionally, the effect of BR on the expression of survival and virulence genes of Campylobacter were evaluated. Data were analyzed by the PROC MIXED procedure of SAS (P < 0.05). All BR treatments significantly reduced Campylobacter populations on both chicken or meat samples by 1-3 log CFU/g when compared with non-BR treated washed controls. Real-time PCR results revealed that BR treatment down regulated expression of Campylobacter genes coding for motility (motA, fliA) and attachment (jlpA, ciaB) whereas stress response genes (katA, sodB) were up regulated. Overall, our results suggest that BR could be effectively used as antimicrobial dip treatment during poultry processing for reducing Campylobacter on chicken carcasses.