Microbiological control in animal processing

#Animal processing for meat products is an area in which microbiological control is of vital importance. By the very nature of the processing involved there are numerous opportunities for the live animals to be exposed to various pathogens in the form of mobile bacteria. The thought of handling, processing and consuming bacteria-infested meat is revolting in the extreme. Furthermore, new government rules and standards require that additional attention be paid to both production and processing areas to assure reduced contamination of consumer meat.

#Heretofore certain halogen-containing compositions have been proposed for use as additives to animal drinking water as a potential way of reducing bacterial activity. For example U.S. Pat. No. 4,822,512 describes tests in which a formulation composed of 1.5 parts of sodium chloride, 50 parts of potassium persulfate triple salt, 5 parts of sulfamic acid, 10 parts of malic acid, 18.5 parts of sodium hexametaphosphate and 15 parts of sodium dodecylbenzene was added to drinking water for poultry and day-old chicks. As to the results of these tests, the patent reports only that as compared to a control group the birds and chicks given this formulation gained more weight. In a paper published in Poultry Science, 1982, 61, 1968-1971, Mora, Kohl, Wheatley, Worley, Faison, Burkett, and Bodor report results of studies in which 15-day old broilers were given untreated drinking water or water treated with 200 ppm of 3-chloro-4,4-dimethyl-2-oxazolidinone (CDO). The authors concluded that during the 8-week period of the tests no significant differences were noted in the amounts of food or water consumed, that no statistically significant differences were seen between the weights of the test groups and their respective controls, and that no significant gross differences in internal organs were observed that could be attributed to the ingestion of the CDO. More recently, U.S. Pat. No. 6,099,855 teaches administration via drinking water to baby chicks and to 6-week-old male and female broilers infected with Salmonella typhimurium of pH-buffered redox-stabilized compositions comprising halide and oxyhalide ions. See also related U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,830,511; and 6,004,587. A product of this type, viz., Aquatize® biocide (Bioxy Incorporated) is believed to be a composition of this type.

#One ubiquitous source of microbial contamination in animal processing is animal fecal matter. It would be of considerable benefit if a highly effective way could be found of reducing the bacterial content of animal fecal matter.

#Comparative tests were conducted to determine the effect, if any, on the fecal bacteria counts of broilers receiving dosages of several different microbiocidal compositions. These compositions were administered to female broilers via drinking water during the both the last day of feed consumption and an ensuing 9-hour period of feed withdrawal (i.e., during a total period of 33 hours prior to processing). The test period began when broilers were 56 days of age and continued through the 9-hour feed withdrawal period. A total of 100 birds of a chick strain were housed at hatch and used in the tests. Each test group contained 10 female broilers randomly assigned into a given replicate group containing 10 female broilers per group. Ten test groups were employed. Sacrificial processing of the broilers began immediately after the end of the 9-hour period. Food and water consumption during the test period were determined. In addition, fecal bacteria and ending intestine condition were measured at the end of the 9 hours of feed withdrawal.

#The biocides tested were Aquatize® biocide (Bioxy Incorporated), sodium hypochlorite (Clorox® bleach), and 1,3-dibromo-5,5-dimethylhydantoin (hereinafter sometimes referred to as DBDMH. Table 1 shows the experimental design used in these tests. The microbiocides used in these tests were used only in the final 24-hour period during which for consumption was present and during the ensuing 9-hour period of feed withdrawal, the 33-hour period. 1 TABLE 1 Test Microbiocide Tested Repli- Chicks per Group (During the 33-hour period) cates Replicate 1 None One 10 2 Clorox ® solution (6 ppm Cl2 equivalent) One 10 3 Aquatize ® biocide 1:1000 (vol:vol) One 10 4 Aquatize ® biocide 1:1000 (vol:vol) One 10 plus citric acid (0.015% of total solution) 5 40% NaBr solution 1:1000 (vol:vol) One 10 plus Clorox ® solution (1:3500 dilution) 6 40% NaBr solution 1:2000 (vol:vol) One 10 plus Clorox ® solution (1:1750 dilution) 7 40% NaBr solution 1:4000 (vol:vol) One 10 plus Clorox ® solution (1:1200 dilution) 8 DBDMH (5 ppm Cl2 equivalent) One 10 9 DBDMH (10 ppm Cl2 equivalent) One 10 10 DBDMH (15 ppm Cl2 equivalent) One 10

#The drinking water solutions of 1,3-dibromo-5,5-dimethylhydantoin of this invention formed using the following procedure. A stock solution of DBDMH was prepared by stirring 100 g of DBDMH into 10 liters (10,000 mL) of water for 20 minutes. After filtration, resulting clear solution contains 1300 mg per liter as Br2. This corresponds to 580 mg per (or 580 ppm Cl2 when expressed as Cl2. The diluted solutions of DBDMH used in these were then formed as follows: