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Simple Summary: Salmonella and Campylobacter are two of the most common foodborne pathogens isolated from poultry meat. Over the years, a number of advancements have been made in poultry processing to reduce the prevalence of these pathogens, such as the utilization of peracetic acid in various processing steps. However, despite these efforts, Salmonella and Campylobacter continue to persist in retail broiler meat products. In an effort to characterize the efficacy of existing peracetic acid antimicrobial interventions in the industry, we collected broiler meat samples from throughout the processing chain and from different commercial poultry processing plants. Our results suggest that antimicrobial spray cabinets demonstrate little efficacy in reducing the prevalence of these pathogens. However, the utilization of peracetic acid in carcass chilling tanks remains the most effective chemical intervention. An increase in prevalence during second processing and MDM production suggests that cross-contamination still plays a pivotal role in broiler meat contamination at the retail level. In poultry processing, Salmonella and Campylobacter contaminations are major food safety concerns. Peracetic acid (PAA) is an antimicrobial commonly used in commercial poultry processing to reduce pathogen prevalence so as to meet the USDA-FSIS performance standards. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of Salmonella and Campylobacter on broiler meat in various steps of commercial poultry processing in plants that use PAA. Post-pick, pre-chill, post-chill, and drumstick chicken samples were collected from three processing plants and mechanically deboned meat (MDM) was collected from two of the three plants. Each plant was sampled thrice, and 10 samples were collected from each processing step during each visit. Among the 420 samples, 79 were contaminated with Salmonella and 155 were contaminated with Campylobacter. Salmonella and Campylobacter contamination on the post-pick samples averaged 32.2%. Significant reductions in Salmonella and Campylobacter were observed in pre-chill to post-chill samples, where the prevalence was reduced from 34% and 64.4% to nondetectable limits and 1.1%, respectively (p < 0.001). Salmonella and Campylobacter remained undetectable on the drumstick samples in all three processing plants. However, the prevalence of Salmonella and Campylobacter on MDM was similar to the post-pick prevalence, which suggests substantial cross-contamination from post-chill to MDM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The presence of spoilage bacteria on broiler meat is known to cause deleterious effects, such as off odors and color, and contributes to a shorter shelf life. While spoilage microbes do not pose a major health concern, the presence of these bacteria results in economic loss that could be mitigated during processing. In order to evaluate the efficacy of antimicrobial interventions on spoilage microbes, we collected broiler meat samples from various stages of commercial poultry processing plants that use different applications and concentrations of peracetic acid. From these results, we conclude that the most effective intervention occurs during carcass chilling. However, the presence of aerobic bacteria and coliforms on broiler meat during second processing suggests cross contamination, which could affect the shelf life of retail chicken parts. In poultry processing, spoilage microbes are persistent microorganisms, which affect the quality of broiler meat. Peracetic acid (PAA) is the most common antimicrobial used by commercial processing plants, which can reduce the prevalence of these microbes. The goal of this study was to determine the concentrations of aerobic bacteria, coliforms, lactic acid bacteria, and Pseudomonas on broiler meat in processing plants that use peracetic acid in various concentrations as the primary antimicrobial. Samples were collected from three processing plants at five processing steps: post-pick (defeathering), pre-chill, post-chill, mechanically deboned meat (MDM), and drumsticks. Samples were rinsed in buffered peptone water for bacteria isolation. Over six log CFU/sample of aerobic plate counts (APC), lactic acid bacteria, and coliforms were detected on post-pick samples. All spoilage bacteria were reduced to nondetectable levels on post-chill samples (p < 0.001). However, the presence of all bacteria on mechanically deboned meat (MDM) samples indicated varying degrees of cross contamination from post-chill and MDM samples. These results suggest PAA effectively reduces spoilage microbes in chilling applications irrespective of differences in PAA concentrations. However, due to the levels of spoilage microbes detected in MDM, it may be worth investigating the potential interventions for this stage of processing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]