Effect of peracetic acid and acetic acid on Escherichia coli and Salmonella bacteria on the carcasses of slaughtered chickens

Abstract

Introduction: Poultry meat contaminated with pathogenic bacteria can cause some diseases in
humans. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of peracetic acid and acetic acid on
Salmonella and Escherichia coli as human pathogens.
Materials & Methods: In this study, the effect of different percentages of acetic acid with
concentrations (0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12) and peracetic acid (0.5, 1, 1.5, 2,
3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9) were performed on reducing the population of E. coli and Salmonella in
chicken carcasses in industrial slaughterhouse by disk and well methods on chicken carcasses.
Using sequential dilutions, the minimum inhibitory and lethal concentrations were measured
with spectrophotometer. Analysis of variance and Duncan were used to compare the mean of
the data.
Result: The results showed that the minimum inhibitory concentration of growth and the
minimum concentration of lethality in samples treated with 0.5% acetic acid were significantly
higher than 0.5% of peracetic acid (p≤0.05). The minimum lethal concentrations of acetic acid
and peracetic acid on E. coli were 4 and 3%, and in Salmonella 2 and 1%, respectively.
Peracetic acid, with a lower percentage, killed bacteria. It was found that organic acids in this
study were effective on both bacteria and at the same concentration, peracetic acid reduced 4
more logarithmic cycles in Salmonella.
Conclusion: According to the results, the use of these organic acids is recommended to reduce
the microbial load of chicken carcasses in the slaughterhouse.