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ARS Home » Plains Area » College Station, Texas » Southern Plains Agricultural Research Center » Food and Feed Safety Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #340369
Research Project: Identification of the Ecological Niches and Development of Intervention Strategies to Reduce Pathogenic Foodborne Pathogens in Poultry

Location: Food and Feed Safety Research

Title: Advanced oxidation process sanitization of hatching eggs reduces Salmonella in broiler chicks

Author
item REHKOPF, ANDREW - Texas A&M University
item Byrd Ii, James - Allen
item COUFAL, CRAIG - Texas A&M University
item DUONG, TRI - Texas A&M University

Submitted to: Poultry Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/11/2017
Publication Date: 10/1/2017
Publication URL: https://handle.nal.usda.gov/10113/6472438
Citation: Rehkopf, A.C., Byrd II, J.A., Coufal, C.D., Duong, T. 2017. Advanced oxidation process sanitization of hatching eggs reduces Salmonella in broiler chicks. Poultry Science. 96(10):3709-3716. https://doi.org/10.3382/ps/pex166.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3382/ps/pex166

Interpretive Summary: Reduction of Salmonella, one of the bacteria that causes food poisoning, on eggs is important to provide a clean product to the consumer. Developing treatments to reduce Salmonella contamination of eggs is important in improving the microbial quality of eggs entering the hatchery. Previously, the hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and ultraviolet light (UV) Advanced Oxidation Process (AOP) had been demonstrated to be effective in reducing Salmonella on the surface of experimentally contaminated eggs. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of treating eggs with an egg sanitizing apparatus using the H2O2/UV AOP egg sanitizer on Salmonella contamination during incubation, hatching, and in broiler chicks during grow-out. Experimentally contaminated eggs were treated using the automated egg sanitizer and then incubated for 21 days. AOP sanitization reduced Salmonella on the surface of experimentally contaminated eggs and reduced the number of Salmonella positive eggs by 65 percent when treated immediately post-inoculation.

Technical Abstract: Reduction of Salmonella contamination of eggs is important in improving the microbial food safety of poultry and poultry products. Developing interventions to reduce Salmonella contamination of eggs is important to improving the microbial quality of eggs entering the hatchery. Previously, the hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and ultraviolet light (UV) Advanced Oxidation Process (AOP) had been demonstrated to be effective in reducing Salmonella on the surface of experimentally contaminated eggs. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of treating eggs with an egg sanitizing apparatus using the H2O2/UV AOP egg sanitizer on Salmonella contamination during incubation, hatching, and in broiler chicks during grow-out. Experimentally contaminated eggs were treated using a prototype of an automated H2O2/UV AOP egg sanitizer and then incubated for 21 days. AOP sanitization reduced Salmonella on the surface of experimentally contaminated eggs and reduced the number of Salmonella positive eggs by 65 percent (P < 0.05) when treated immediately post-inoculation. AOP treatment also reduced the number of Salmonella-positive contaminated eggs during the incubation. Additionally, Salmonella was recovered from more chicks hatched from untreated eggs than from eggs treated using the prototype H2O2/UV AOP egg sanitizer (P < 0.05) through 14 days post-hatch. The data suggest that reduction of Salmonella contamination on the surface of eggs using the H2O2/UV AOP egg sanitizer prior to incubation may reduce the gastrointestinal colonization of chicks by Salmonella.