Comparative Effectiveness of Cloth Sampling to Rinse Sampling on Microbial Recovery and Salmonella Detection in Poultry Meats

Abstract

Poultry meat serves as one of the primary protein sources for human consumption. Concurrently, poultry is a significant vector for transmitting foodborne pathogens such as Salmonella to humans. Periodic sampling is imperative for industries and retail outlets to ensure the quality and safety of their products. The rinsate method, as proposed by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), is the prevailing sampling technique for poultry. However, the meat products tested by the rinsate method become inedible after sample collection, which leads to financial loss and food waste. In response, a novel spun-polymer cloth sampling tool, MicroTally® Mitt, has been developed to minimize the shedding of cloth material on meat while allowing for easy, time-saving, and labor-efficient sample collection. Comparative analysis of the efficacy of mitts and the USDA rinsate method on chicken wings and skinless thighs was conducted regarding Salmonella prevalence, aerobic bacterial counts, and coliform bacterial counts. The results revealed that the cloth sampling done by mitts delivers consistent (P > 0.05) results in detecting Salmonella prevalence and coliform bacterial counts compared to the USDA rinsate method. In addition, slight differences were observed in aerobic bacterial counts (P < 0.05) between the two methods, with variations dependent on the specific chicken part examined; however, the magnitude of these differences did not hold biological significance.