Evaluation of steam-ultrasound decontamination on naturally contaminated broilers through the analysis of Campylobacter, total viable count, and Enterobacteriaceae

Combined steam-ultrasound process was investigated for decontamination of freshly slaughtered broilers. Combined steam-ultrasound was delivered simultaneously through specially designed nozzles. The nozzles were installed inside of a constructed machine that allowed for continuous processing. The aim of this study was to evaluate the decontamination effect of the steam- ultrasound application with a capacity of 10,500 birds/hour on naturally contaminated broilers, using three different skin sampling areas for microbial analysis (back, breast and the neck skin). Microbial analysis of Campylobacter , Enterobacteriaceae and Total Viable Count (TVC), was performed pre- and -post steam-ultrasound treatment. A total of 648 skin samples were analyzed for Campylobacter and a total of 216 samples were analyzed for Enterobacteriaceae and TVC. R esults showed significant (p<0.001) Campylobacter reductions of 0.8 log, 1.1 log and 0.7 log, analyzed from skin samples taken from the back, breast and the neck, respectively. Significant reductions of Enterobacteriaceae (p<0.001) by 1.6 log, 1.9 log and 1.1 log and significant reductions of TVC (p<0.001) by 2.0 log, 2.4 log and 1.3 log were found on back, breasts and neck, respectively. Refrigeration effect on Campylobacter numbers pre- and post- steam-ultrasound treatment and incubation at 4°C for eight days was determined in a small trial with 12 samples. Results showed significant (p<0.01) reductions of 0.9 log analyzed on breast skin samples, and 0.7 log reduction (p<0.05) on neck skin samples. Results in this study showed that significant bacteria reduction was achieved on three different surface areas on broilers at a slaughter-speed of 10,500b/h with temperatures over 80°C. The rapid treatment of less than 1.5s exposure time per bird chamber, makes this technology potentially suitable for modern and fast poultry processing lines.

Lump formation in Filtration and Drying of Particulate APIs

Crystallization, filtration and drying are important separation and purification unit operations in the pharmaceutical and speciality chemical industries. Continuous processing technologies have emerged as a promising alternative to the more conventional batch processing. Previous studies primarily focus on crystallization and as a result subsequent stage of filtration and drying are overlooked. In the present short communication, a phenomenological parallel is drawn with the drying of porous solids, studies for which are relatively widely reported. Such analysis helps to identify, the fundamental cause for lump formation, and possible mitigation strategies. Based on the postulated physical scenario, two prototype designs to intensify continuous operation of filtration and drying units are discussed. The prototype solutions could make it possible to intensify or combine multiple stages of filtration, deliquoring, washing and drying thus enabling efficient continuous processing of solid form pharmaceutical and specialty chemicals.