No, it is well known that slaughterhouses and poultry producers run clean shops. That's why the government has a page describing killing surface pathogens with the following apparatus. Hey at least it still looks fresh.
arserrc.gov
Poultry Pasteurizer
The PROBLEM:
A method is needed to surface pasteurize raw poultry carcasses without also producing a cooked appearance. Installing such surface
pasteurization equipment at the end of the slaughterhouse process would prevent human pathogens, such as Salmonella, on raw poultry from entering the channels of distribution. Virtually all contamination of fresh poultry is restricted to its surface.
The RESPONSE:
Surface pasteurization was conceived, tested, publicly patented, and developed by ERRC-ARS/USDA. The principle is to heat the surface very rapidly by pulling noncondensable gases away from the meat’s surface so that thermally saturated steam can condense without hindrance. After brief heating by condensing steam, the surface is quickly cooled below cooking temperature again by re-evaporating the condensate back into vacuum. The novel effect depends on the lower activation energy of bacterial enzyme inactivation, contrasted to the higher activation energy of meat protein denaturation.
The METHOD:
A prototype machine has been designed, built, and tested. It accepts whole broiler carcasses, heats and cools them, and ejects them, all within the total time of one second. The treatment sequence first encloses the bird in a chamber which is exposed to vacuum for 100 msec (0.1 sec). Treatment steam, at 20 to 35 psig (260 to 280° F) is admitted for 100 msec (0.1 sec). The meat is then cooled by vacuum for 500 milliseconds (0.5 sec). Finally, the chamber is opened, ejecting the treated carcass down and accepting a new carcass from above. The machine speed and conditions suggest that the treatment will cost less than one cent per bird in commercial operation.
The RESULTS: Controls Pathogens while Retaining Fresh Appearance
This process has been demonstrated to kill about 99% (or a two log reduction) of test bacteria applied to the meat's surface. The organisms are killed without affecting the meat's appearance. The great significance and advantage of this process is that the surface retains its raw appearance and fresh quality. Equally important, a single pasteurizer should be able to accommodate 4,000 birds per hour, typical of a modern slaughter line.
WHAT'S NEEDED?
Tests are still under way to determine optimum conditions, using applied Listeria innocua. A cooperator is needed to test the process under commercial conditions. The machine when actually used should constitute a gate through which contaminated birds pass between the dirty slaughter area and a clean cutup area, such as at the chill tank. The prototype requires 8'x12' area, 9' high. It uses 4KW at 220 volts AC. No steam or air are needed. Instruments and controllers can be wired remotely. Normal lighting is sufficient. This technology has been patented and is available for licensing. The Eastern Regional Research Center is interested in entering into a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement to continue developmental studies.
Patent Status: Patent #5,281,428 granted January 25, 1994.
Responsible Engineer:
Michael Kozempel
Eastern Regional Research Center
ARS, USDA
600 East Mermaid Lane
Wyndmoor, PA 19038
215-233-6588
e-mail: mkozempel@arserrc.gov
Technology Transfer Coordinator:
C. Gerald Crawford
(215) 233-6610
e-mail: cgcrawford@naa.ars.usda.gov
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