Thermal inactivation kinetics of extraintestinal pathogenic escherichia coli suspended in ground chicken meat

Authors: XU, AIXIA - Oak Ridge Institute For Science And Education (ORISE); JOHNSON, JAMES - Department Of Veterans Affairs; Scullen, Butch - Butch; CHUANG, SHIHYU - National Taiwan University; SHEEN, LEE-YAN - National Taiwan University; Sheen, Shiowshuh - Allen; Sommers, Christopher

Submitted to: Food Control
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/3/2019
Publication Date: 5/4/2019
Citation: Xu, A., Johnson, J., Scullen, O.J., Chuang, S., Sheen, L., Sheen, S., Sommers, C.H. 2019. Thermal inactivation kinetics of extraintestinal pathogenic escherichia coli suspended in ground chicken meat. Food Control. 104:269-277. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodcont.2019.05.001.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodcont.2019.05.001

Interpretive Summary: Extraintestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli (ExPEC are common contaminants in poultry meat and are associated with diverse human infections including ulcerative colitis, sepsis, meningitis, and urinary tract infections. These conditions affect over 10 million people each year in the United States, at an economic cost of ca. $20 billion. In this study we examined the heat resistance of ExPEC isolates from retail chicken meat, women with urinary tract infections, and infants with meningitis that was suspended in ground chicken meat. We found that ExPEC of all three types could be killed (reduced by 99.999 percent) in ground chicken meat exposed to 65 degrees Celsius in less than one minute, which is consistent with what occurs for the well-known E.coli O157:H7. This indicates the cooking conditions which can be used to kill E.coli O157:H7 will also kill ExPEC in poultry meat. This research will help risk assessors and for processors provide safer poultry meat to consumers.

Technical Abstract: Extraintestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli (ExPEC) is responsible for many human diseases, including urinary tract infections (UTI) and neonatal meningitis. Retail poultry meat has been identified as a reservoir for ExPEC. Information regarding thermal inactivation kinetics of ExPEC in food, specifically poultry meat, is lacking. In this study, to determine the thermal inactivation kinetics of ExPEC ground chicken meat was inoculated with three ExPEC multi-isolate cocktails, including uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC), neonatal meningitis-causing Escherichia coli (NMEC), and ExPEC recovered from retail chicken products (food-source). The inoculated ground chicken meat samples were subject to heating at 55, 60, and 65 deg C. The D-10 and z-values were determined by using a linear regression. The mean D-10 values of the UPEC group were 7.34, 0.56, and 0.05 minutes at 55, 60, and 65 deg C, respectively. The mean of the D-10 values of the NMEC group were 4.13, 0.47, and 0.08 minutes at 55, 60, and 65 C, respectively. The mean of the D10 values of the food-source ExPEC group were 5.99, 0.50 and 0.09 minutes at 55, 60, and 65 deg C, respectively. The observed D-10 values are less than those reported for Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) in ground chicken. The z-values were 4.69, 5.89, and 5.53 C, consistent with the reported values for STEC in food systems. The findings will assist risk assessors and food processors provide safer poultry meat to consumers.