Commercial field trial evaluation of mucosal starter culture to reduce Salmonella incidence in processed broiler carcasses
2000
Bailey, J.S. | Stern, N.J. | Cox, N.A.
A series of 4 paired growing-house studies was conducted in Arkansas, Alabama, and Georgia (2 farms), USA, to determine the efficacy of Mucosal Starter Culture (MSC; a competitive exclusion treatment) in eliminating or reducing salmonellae in chickens. Randomly designated chicks were treated twice with MSC; first they were sprayed with an MSC solution using a spray vaccination cabinet in the hatchery, and then they received MSC in the first drinking water at the growing house. Chicks were grown in identically constructed and equipped paired houses managed by the same grower. The presence of salmonellae was tested for chickens on the farm and during processing at the end of grow-out, and in random egg shell samples taken from flocks during hatching. Results showed that in 3 trials where no hatchery salmonellae were found, less salmonellae were found on MSC-treated chickens compared to untreated chickens. On the farm at the end of grow-out, salmonellae were detected in 54 of 150 untreated control chickens compared to 40 of 180 MSC-treated chickens. In the processing plant, significantly (P ≤ 0.05) more salmonellae were detected on prechill untreated control carcasses (23 of 180) compared to MSC-treated carcasses (12 of 180) and on untreated postchill processed carcasses (9 of 180) compared to MSC-treated carcasses (0 of 180). In 1 trial, where appreciable (28% of egg shell samples) levels of salmonellae were found before treatment with MSC, more salmonellae were found in the treated birds than in the control birds both on the farm and after processing. Data confirm that when salmonellae levels were controlled in the hatchery by MSC treatment, a significant reduction in salmonellae was found on the final processed carcass, thus potentially reducing consumer exposure to salmonellae.
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