Chlorine-alternative rinse could reopen EU market

A non-chlorine cleansing solution for washing eviscerated poultry carcasses effectively removed bacteria that cause human foodborne disease and might also enable US turkey and chicken producers to resume exports to Europe and Russia, according to news sources.

In a series of studies, researchers from USDA’s Agricultural Research Service washed broiler carcasses with different concentrations of lauric acid and potassium hydroxide. Lauric acid at 2% and potassium hydroxide at 1% generally removed more bacteria from broiler carcasses.

Bacterial contamination was not significantly affected by the amount of pressure used to wash carcasses, but it was significantly reduced when the amount of time carcasses were spray-washed was increased from 5 to 15 to 30 seconds.

The European Union’s and Russia’s ban on chlorine-rinsed poultry carcasses has frustrated US producers, who are required to use chlorine as a sanitizer to prevent cross-contamination of pathogens such as salmonella, Invention and Technology News says.

However, “With the development of an alternative to chlorine for processing chicken and turkey, the USDA may have found a way for US processors to once again supply Europeans and Russians with Americanraised poultry for the dinner table,” the publication reports.