●Acid sanitizerscombine the rinsing and
sanitizing steps. Acid neutralizes the
excess alkalinity from the cleaning
residues, prevents formation of alka-
line deposits, and sanitizes. Acid
sanitizers effectively kill both gram-
positive and gram-negative bacteria.
Other information about sanitizers
may be found in Chapter 10. Sodium
chlorite and citric acid are in use in
meat and poultry plants as an antimi-
crobial (Stahl, 2004).
●Ozoneis incorporated to control micro-
bial contamination in water, spray
directly onto meat and other foods to
reduce microbial contamination, and
the application onto clean food contact
sources as a non-rinse sanitizer. It is an
excellent biocide for chill water in
slaughter plants and cooling tower
operations (Stier, 2002) because it
breaks down to harmless compounds
and will not concentrate in the system.
Moisture must be present (80 to 90%)
for ozone to be able to attack microor-
ganisms. Although ozone can reduce
pathogenic microorganisms on beef car-
casses, Castillo et al. (2003) discovered
that an aqueous ozone treatment pro-
vided no improvement over a hot water
wash. Too much ozone application on
the meat surface will cause a pale color
(Clark, 2004).Carcass and Product Decontamination
Cleansing of cattle prior to harvesting can
reduce contamination during hide pulling.
Antimicrobial rinses and treatments are
common in meat and poultry plants (Anon.,
2004). Of the various decontamination treat-
ments reported by Allen (2004), spray wash
treatments with ethanol and 4 to 6%
concentrations of lactic acid was the most
effective in the reduction of microbial con-
tamination. Several cattle hide interventions
are effective in a controlled laboratory set-
ting, but may not be feasible for use on live
animals (Allen, 2004).
An application for disinfectants involves a
reduction of bacteria on carcasses. Applica-
tions have focused on acidified sodium chlo-
rite (ASC), hydrogen peroxide, trisodium
phosphate, cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC),
and the application of an electrochemically
activated solution(ECA). ECA is a mixture
of sodium hypochlorite and peroxides to
provide an electrical process that enables it
to destroy a wide range of microorganisms.
CPC has been successfully incorporated with
lactic acid and sodium tripolyphosphate to
destroy salmonella.
ASC has been approved for use on meat
products as well as fruits, vegetables, and
seafood products. A commercial application
of ASC involves 1,000 ppm after pre-chilled
carcasses are water-rinsed for 10 seconds.
Sodium chlorite acidifies in the presence of
citric acid and destroys bacteria, viruses, fungi,
yeast, and some protozoa by disrupting pro-
teins in the microbial cell. It is effective in the
destruction of pathogenic bacteria. This com-
pound can be applied at room temperature
through immersion or spray techniques with-
out jeopardizing product quality. It is environ-
mentally friendly and can be discharged into
municipal and private sewage systems without
additional treatment (Velazco, 2003). ASC
may be applied post-chill to reduce Campy-
lobacter spp. and E. coliin commercial broiler
carcasses. Post-chill systems may eventually be
used in different applications, such as mist,
spray, or bath, which could be applied closer
to the final stages in processing (Oyarzabal
et al., 2004).
Dipping solutions of sodium diacetate,
sodium benzoate, sodium propionate, and
potassium sorbate have been incorporated to
inhibit the growth of L. monocytogenesin
turkey frankfurters. Gombas (2003) con-