Survival of Campylobacter jejuni on poultry skin and meat at varying temperatures.

Researchers have recently found a much higher prevalence of Campylobacter on skin-on poultry products vs. skinless products. These data suggest that contamination is associated primarily with poultry skin, and Campylobacter may not survive on skinless poultry meat. Therefore, the objective of this study was to quantify the survival of Campylobacter poultry skin vs. meat under differing storage conditions. Skin and meat were irradiated to eliminate native microflora and inoculated with Campylobacter jejuni (~5.0 x 10(5) cfu/mL). Meat and skin samples were packaged in polystyrene trays, covered with Cryovac film, and then subjected to 1 of the following storage conditions: 1) 4 degrees C for 11 d; 2) 4 degrees C for 1 d, then -3 degrees C for 10 d; 3) 4 degrees C for 1 d, -3 degrees C for 1 d, then 4 degrees C for 9 d; or 4) 4 degrees C for 1 d, -3 degrees C for 1 d, 20 degrees C for 1 h on d2, then 4 degrees for 9 d. On d 0, 2, 3, 5, 7, 9, and 11, populations of Campylobacter were determined. The experiment was replicated 3 times. In each experiment, populations of surviving Campylobacter were not affected by storage conditions (P > or = 0.05), and there was no interaction between temperature treatments and sample type. Surviving Campylobacter populations were affected (P < or = 0.05) by sample type (skin vs. meat). Campylobacter, in the absence of competing microflora, survived well on poultry skin and meat at the temperatures tested. In all experiments, higher populations were established on the inoculated skin vs. inoculated meat. These populations remained consistently 0.4 to 0.9 log(10) cfu/g higher on skin vs. meat. Poultry skin topography may account, in part, for these higher populations on skin.