Destruction of Salmonella on poultry meat with lysozyme, EDTA, x-ray, microwave and chlorine.

Lysozyme, ethylenediaminetetracetic acid, chlorine, x-irradiation and microwaves were used in experimental attempts to eliminate Salmonella senftenberg 775W or Salmonella typhimurium from turkey drumsticks and whole carcasses. Turkey drumsticks or whole carcasses were artificially contaminated with S. senftenberg 775W or S. typhimurium in concentrations ranging between 5 X 10(5) to 8 X 10(5) viable cells per ml. of contaminating fluid. After each treatment, samples were cultured, plated, and tested according to standard methods to determine the susceptibility of Salmonella organisms to the particular treatment. A 0.1 percent solution of lysozyme eliminated the S. senftenberg 775W at 22 degrees C. within three hours. A 0.5 percent solution of ethlenediaminetetracetic acid failed to destroy the test organism under the same conditions. Eighty thousand rads of X-ray eliminated the test organism on turkey drumsticks but failed to remove it from whole turkey carcasses. Microwaves eliminated the S. senftenberg 775W in 150 seconds from turkey drumsticks and ten minutes from broiler chicken carcasses. Aqueous solutions containing 3400 and 2125 p.p.m. chlorine failed to destroy the test organism on turkey drumsticks at 21 degrees C. in 9 and 24 hours. None of the treatments changed the appearance of the skin or meat, except microwaves produced a partially-cooked appearance. Chlorine produced off-color drumsticks.