FIELD

The present disclosure relates to sprays and aqueous baths used for immersing poultry and meat carcasses. The present disclosure further relates to systems and methods for disinfecting poultry water, poultry carcasses, and meat carcasses in sprays and aqueous baths.

BACKGROUND

All meat and poultry carcasses entering the processing environment are contaminated with bacteria, some with pathogenic bacteria such asE. coliandSalmonella. Fecal matter and dirt are the main sources of this contamination. As a result of such contamination, meat and poultry are typically washed at any of several steps during the process of converting a live animal to an edible food product. Such washing aims to remove dirt, offal, blood, viscera, other debris, and microbes from the animal. Removing or reducing microbes aids the safe storage and consumption of meat and poultry, yet many existing washing procedures fail to significantly reduce the microbe burden on the meat or poultry. The potential for animal skin to become cross-contaminated is worsened by the ability of various types of bacteria (Gram-positive, Gram-negative, flagellated, non-flagellated, rods or cocci) to adhere within only 15 seconds of contact. Once in the processing environment, carcasses can become cross-contaminated with pathogens during handling, scalding, mechanical processing, and chilling.

Water used for washing or other procedures is often used repeatedly over time, which provides yet another opportunity spreading, rather than reducing, the microbial burden on meat and poultry. For example, the water may become contaminated with organic matter and microbes from a carcass, providing nutrients for microbial growth in the water. The microbes can grow on and contaminate additional carcasses and the processing equipment. In particular, water left untreated in a submersion bath tends to decontaminate meat and poultry early in a shift but contaminates carcasses later in the shift. Such water can become a source of microbial contamination or cross contamination during processing.

Microbial contamination or cross contamination of meat and poultry via water continues to be a major concern for processors and end users. Handling or processing steps that pool many individual meat or poultry parts together tend to increase the risk that a single contaminated item may contaminate the entire lot. Immersing or spray-washing meat or poultry in fresh water can help reduce surface populations of microorganisms. However, sterilization by repeated washing, even with sterile water, cannot be achieved because microorganisms within tissues of meat or poultry remain in place.

The microbial quality of sprays and aqueous baths can be controlled using various methods, including various antimicrobial agents, such as chlorine-based antimicrobials, peroxides, non-oxidizing chemistries, high pH, high temperature (e.g., scalding), and low temperature (e.g., chilling). The addition of antimicrobial agents to wash or process water can inactivate vegetative bacteria cells in water, helping to avoid contamination.

In the past, meat or poultry wash or process waters have generally been treated with chlorinated compounds, organic acids, acidified sodium chlorite, trisodium phosphate, or ozone. Generally, these materials are effective in reducing microbial contamination on meat or poultry. Excessive chlorination of food processing water with hypochlorite has prompted concern over production of toxic or carcinogenic organochlorine compounds and other by-products. Other treatments, such as peroxycarboxylic acids and high pH do not suffer from similar drawbacks. However, some antimicrobial strategies that may be effective when used alone, may counteract one another when combined in certain ways. It is against this background that the present disclosure is made.

SUMMARY

A method for reducing bacterial load on meat and poultry in sprays and an aqueous bath is provided. The method includes generating a plurality of zones using spray nozzles or within a chiller bath containing water by dosing a source of alkalinity and a peracid into the water, wherein the plurality of zones comprises at least one alkaline zone with pH above pKa of the peracid, and at least one peracid zone with pH below the pKa of the peracid. The meat or poultry is either sprayed or submersed into the bath and travels through the various zones.

The spray nozzles may be arranged in a number of ways to create zones. For example, the spray nozzles may be part of a spray cabinet or cabinets such as an inside-outside bird washer (IOBW). In some embodiments, the nozzles within a single spray cabinet may be set up such that some nozzles form one zone for dosing a first solution and other nozzles form another zone for dosing a second solution. In some embodiments, multiple spray cabinets may be set up such that all of the nozzles in an entire spray cabinet form one zone for dosing a first solution and all of the nozzles in another spray cabinet form another zone for dosing a second solution. In some embodiments, spray nozzles can be positioned on a processing line without requiring a cabinet framework, for example, when processing large beef carcasses. In these embodiments, the nozzles can be set up such that individual nozzles or collections of nozzles form one zone for dosing a first solution, and other nozzles or collection of nozzles form an additional zone for dosing a second solution.

In some embodiments, a chiller bath may include a tank for holding a volume of chiller water; a dosing system for dosing a first solution and a second solution into the chiller water, arranged to create a plurality of zones within the volume of water, wherein each zone has a higher concentration of either the first or the second solution than surrounding portions of the volume of water; and a poultry immersion arrangement for immersing and moving poultry carcasses in the chiller water.

