| S-292: Project
Objective and Sub-Objectives
To improve
consumer safety, consumer acceptance and the commercial profitability
of poultry meat and eggs by improving or reducing critical
problems associated with the quality of poultry meat and eggs,
specifically colonization, contaminations, and subsequent
pathogen growth.
Sub-Objectives
| #1 |
To
reduce blood splash / bruising / hemorrhaging-related
problems in poultry products (color problems) |
| #2 |
To
reduce the sausative factors fo biologically impaired
meat quality |
| #3 |
To
better understand and eliminate the negative impact of
irradiatin on poultry meat quality |
| #4 |
To
better understand how production and processing factors
impact the safety of poultry products |
1.
Blood Splash / Bruising / Hemorrhaging in Poultry - Color
Problems
Residual
blood associated with poultry products is a common occurrence
and is invariably viewed as a quality defect. Such defects
arise from vascular system failure either because of trauma
or pathological processes. There is a lack of knowledge
as to the dominant reasons for these occurrences, the best
approach for relief, practical means of measurement, and the
relationship between the degree of residual blood and its
impact on the quality perception of consumers. An integrated
effort is planned to study the primary aspects of color problems
attributable to blood that appear in poultry products.
2.
Biologically Impaired Meat Quality
The
farm-to-table approach will be applied to solving problems
associated with the biology of the bird and its response to
the live production, processing, and retail environments.
Although the primary, immediate problem is pale, soft, exudative
(PSE) meat in broilers and turkeys; biological impairment
may include all situations and syndromes which decrease the
quality and value of the meat.
This
multi-institutional and multi-dimensional effort will involve
research on three fronts; the farm, the slaughter plant, and
the fabrication/retail environments to achieve a farm-to-table
approach for providing solutions for the reduction or better
utilization of the defective PSE meat. Within each of
these dimensions, the focus of the studies will be on identification
of causative factors for the defective meat in an effort to
reduce its incidence, characterization of the defective meat,
or corrective factors/techniques that may improve the utilization
of the defective meat.
The inconsistent frequency of PSE meat in test
or commercial flocks combined with the lack of knowledge about
its causes makes the interdependence of stations essential
for solving this problem. There will be considerable exchange
of birds, meat, and information between stations in the studies.
This is further required because some stations do not have
ready access to live production or processing facilities.
Likewise, some stations possess techniques or expertise not
available elsewhere. Sharing information and materials
will provide a more efficient use of resources and provide
a more organized and comprehensive approach to solving this
problem.
3.
Irradiation Impact on Poultry Meat Quality
Providing the food industry with a range of
technologies to improve food safety has been a priority of
the US Department of Agriculture and Food and Drug Administration
in recent years. The USDA has just recently released
guidelines for the irradiation of raw meat and poultry and
their associated products. Used in conjunction with
other science-based prevention approaches, irradiation can
provide consumers with an added measure of protection.
The safety and efficacy of food irradiation has been extensively
researched around the world. However, research is still
needed to maximize the safety, quality, and acceptability
of cooked and raw irradiated poultry products. Deleterious
changes in odor, flavor, color, texture, and nutritive value
have been identified in irradiated poultry products necessitating
that further studies be conducted to better understand the
impact of irradiation on poultry product quality and how these
deleterious changes can be minimized.
4.
Production and Processing Factors Impacting the Safety of
Poultry Products
Preventing the spread of bacterial pathogens to food products
requires a multiple hurdle approach that should begin during
production and continue through-out processing. The
problem of microbial contamination represents a very significant
challenge that will require many approaches to control pathogens
in poultry. It is likely that it is going to take an entire
system of control to reduce microbial contamination that plagues
the poultry industry. The Hazard Analysis Critical Control
Point (HACCP) system is currently being adopted by poultry
processors. The implementation of this system into the
poultry industry has increased the need for measures to reduce
pathogens at each step in the processing operation.
The proposed regional research effort will focus on several
specific areas including Salmonella and Campylobacter colonization
in the gut, contamination, decontamination strategies, and
pathogen growth factors.
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