Application of 1,3-Dibromo-5, 5-Dimethylhydantoin as a Post-Chill Immersion and Spray Application to Reduce Campylobacter Jejuni Populations on Poultry

Abstract

Chemical antimicrobials are widely used throughout poultry processing to reduce and/ or eliminate poultryborne pathogens that could potentially cause illness in humans. Recent regulatory guidelines mandate that certain pathogens, specifically Campylobacter spp., must be monitored and maintained within regulatory limits. Therefore, in-vitro studies were conducted to assess the applicability of 1, 3-Dibromo-5, 5-Dimethylhydantoin (DBDMH) as an antimicrobial treatment against Campylobacter jejuni. Results from in-vitro studies showed that DBDMH was successful in reducing the survival populations of C. jejuni below detectable levels after 30 s of exposure. From this knowledge, in-vivo studies were carried out to compare the efficacy of multiple concentrations of DBDMH solutions to other commercially used antimicrobials (Peracetic Acid; PAA and Sodium Hypochlorite; SH). Various concentrations of DBDMH, PAA, and SH were used to treat C. jejuni inoculated fresh poultry carcasses using both spray and immersion applications. In-vivo studies demonstrated that DBDMH reduced the survival populations of C. jejuni on poultry carcasses; and has an improved efficacy (P ≤ 0.05) when applied as an immersion application rather than a spray. When compared to other commercially available antimicrobials, DBDMH showed to be more effective than SH (P ≤ 0.05), but not as effective as PAA. These studies demonstrated that DBDMH is an effective antimicrobial to reduce populations of Campylobacter on fresh poultry carcasses when used in short contact time exposures.