Sm. Russell et al., EFFECT OF LACTIC-ACID FERMENTATION ON BACTERIAL PATHOGENS AND INDICATOR ORGANISMS IN BROILER PROCESSING WASTE, Poultry science, 72(8), 1993, pp. 1573-1576
Broiler processing offal (heads, viscera, and feet) was collected on 3
separate days from a commercial processing plant. Each sample was sep
arately ground, supplemented with sucrose (6% initial concentration),
inoculated with actively growing lactic acid bacteria (10(6) cfu/g of
offal) from a commercial silage culture, and fermented at 37 C. Replic
ate samples were taken for standard microbiological analysis after 0,
48, and 120 h of fermentation. In fresh offal, heterotrophic plate cou
nt, total and fecal coliforms, fecal streptococci, and Aeromonas hydro
phila concentrations were 7.4, 5.9, 5.9, 5.4, and 3.9 log10 cfu/g wet
weight, respectively. After 48 h of fermentation, the bacterial concen
trations were 7.6, 2.2, <1.3, 5.5, and <2.3 log10 cfu/g wet weight, re
spectively. After 120 h of fermentation, the bacterial concentrations
were 6.9, <1.1, <1.1, <1.1, and <1.1 log10 cfu/g wet weight, respectiv
ely. Salmonella concentrations in fresh, 48-h fermented, and 120-h fer
mented offal samples were 3.7, <1.5, and <1.5 log10 most-probable-numb
er/100 g wet weight, respectively. Lactic acid fermentation appears to
be effective in reducing the number of bacterial pathogens and indica
tor organisms in poultry processing offal.