Controlling Salmonella in Poultry Production and Processing

Salmonella is a major pathogen that can result in deadly foodborne illness. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that there are 1.4 million cases of Salmonella poisoning each year in the United States from a variety of causes, with undercooked poultry and eggs being the prime culprits. Therefore, intervention strategies are vital to reducing its occurrence. Controlling Salmonella in Poultry Production and Processing provides a complete analysisof the challenges faced in controlling Salmonella in this industry and keeping the public safe from this threat.

Author Scott M. Russell, Ph.D., works closely with the poultry industry throughout the United States and Canada and with companies in Central and South America, Europe, and China. In this volume, he explores:

• The origin of Salmonella in poultry
• Intervention strategies for controlling Salmonella during breeding, hatching, grow-out, transportation, and processing
• How to design a processing plant to eliminate Salmonella
• How to verify intervention strategies to ensure they are working
• Increasing yield during processing while controlling Salmonella
• New regulations being proposed by USDA-FSIS and their impact on poultry companies regarding competition and international exportation of products
• The differences between the EU and the U.S. with regard to Salmonella control

Providing readers with numerous examples of real-world experiences, Dr. Russell offers knowledge gleaned from traveling to poultry plants throughout the world over an 18-year period, assisting processors with identifying the sources of Salmonella in their operations, and developing successful intervention strategies.

Salmonella: The Organism. The Social Cost of Salmonella Infections. Risk Assessment of Salmonella from Poultry Sources. Sources of Salmonella in the Breeder Flocks, Hatchery, and Grow-out Operations. Salmonella Intervention in Breeders. The Role of the Hatchery in Salmonella Transfer. Hatchery Intervention. Salmonella Transfer during Grow Out. Salmonella Intervention during Grow Out. Effect of the Health of Chickens on Salmonella Prevalence. Sources of Salmonella in the Plant. The Role of the Scalder in Spreading Salmonella. Controlling Salmonella in Poultry Scalders. Improving Processing Yield and Lowering Salmonella during Scalding without Added Expense. The Effect of Picking (Defeathering) on Salmonella Levels on Carcasses. Methods for Controlling Salmonella Levels on Carcasses during Picking. Reducing Pathogens during Evisceration. Reducing Salmonella on the Processing Line Using Carcass Sprays. Effect of Online Reprocessing on Salmonella on Carcasses. Effect of Immersion Chilling on Salmonella. Reducing Salmonella during Immersion Chilling. Proper Use of Chlorine in Poultry-Processing Plants. Effect of Air Chilling on Salmonella. Postchill Processes: Dips and Sprays. Other Novel Approaches to Elimination of Salmonella on Carcasses. Biomapping Salmonella on Broiler Carcasses in Poultry- Processing Plants: Case Studies. Verification of the Efficacy of Intervention Strategies. Salmonella Intervention Strategies and Testing Methods Differ Greatly between the United States and Europe: What Are the Implications? Impact of the New USDA-FSIS Salmonella/Campylobacter Performance Standards for Young Chickens. Future Outlook. Index.

Scott M. Russell is a professor in the Poultry Science Department at the University of Georgia in Athens. Dr. Russell’s research activities have been primarily directed toward intervention strategies for reducing pathogenic and spoilage bacteria from poultry production and processing operations, and developing rapid microbiological methods for identifying and enumerating spoilage, indicator, and pathogenic bacteria from fresh and cooked poultry products. He assists poultry companies with elimination of pathogenic bacterial populations throughout their grow-out and processing operations. In addition, Dr. Russell conducts applied research projects to assist in answering a variety of questions related to problems in poultry plants.