Bactericidal Effect of Chlorine on Thermotolerant Campylobacter Species in Poultry Cuts

An effective method for the decontamination of surfaces of poultry carcasses was applied with the use of active chlorine in aqueous solution. Analyses were carried out for three strains of Campylobacter jejuni that were used to contaminate surfaces of the following cuts of poultry carcass: breasts, legs and wings, thus obtaining stock inoculum of ca. 3 x 10 cfu/cm of the surface area. Two-minute exposure to active chlorine caused partial reduction in the number of C. jejuni cells, whereas five-minute exposure resulted in destruction of all viable cells on the surface of poultry cuts in all experimental series.