Novel strategies to model biofilm development and foodborne pathogen persistence on food environmental surfaces

Salmonella spp. and Listeria monocytogenes are part of the most important foodborne pathogens in the US and the world. Poultry is one of the main sources of Salmonella and the disease produce by this organism is the leading cause of bacterial illness, hospitalizations and deaths in the US. Listeria monocytogenes on the other hand is one of leaders in terms of rates of hospitalizations and deaths, therefore, small outbreaks have a high impact in public health. Both pathogens naturally occur in chicken farms environment, and the risk of contamination during poultry processing is continuously present. The presence of bacteria on surfaces across food processing plants is a factor that contributes to the risk of bacterial contamination that is detrimental to product quality and increases the chances of finding a pathogen, therefore, in this study two copper-containing antimicrobial surfaces are evaluated in their capability to reduce bacterial populations of Salmonella and L. monocytogenes under conditions similar to the ones found in a poultry processing plant, the use of the antimicrobial surfaces to reduce biofilm formation, and separately, the application of commonly used poultry disinfectants to prevent biofilm formation. A research study on microbial indicators and statistical process control in a poultry processing plant is included to address the necessity of parameters for measuring plant hygiene and easy detection of out of control situations regarding microbial contamination.