Day 089 - 15 Feb 95 - Page 66
1 salmonella get killed?
2 A. Salmonella are progressively killed as the temperature
3 increases. We know at a temperature of 52 to 53 which is
4 the scald tank temperature, they survive in that. As the
5 temperature rises to about 58 then they start to be killed.
6
7 Q. At 52ish are they likely to proliferate?
8 A. It is possible but it depends on the environment.
9
10 Q. The tank, I take it, is wet so at least they have that aid
11 to reproduction?
12 A. Well, that is correct, but the scald tank is not full
13 for very long. It is being agitated. There is air being
14 driven through it. It is not an ideal medium, perhaps, for
15 bacteria multiplication.
16
17 Q. Scalding takes place before evisceration?
18 A. Correct.
19
20 Q. In other animals we have learnt, and it may be so of
21 chickens, I do not know, evisceration is a stage of the
22 process in which contamination by faeces or whatever of the
23 meat is particularly a problem or may be?
24 A. Yes, it may be. Contamination occurs through the
25 rupture of the intestinal tract and any bacteria which are
26 in it can contaminate any part of the carcass.
27
28 Q. So if you are unlucky and you rupture the intestinal tract
29 of the one chicken in 100 that salmonella affected -- we
30 are still talking about whole chickens at this stage?
31 A. Yes.
32
33 Q. Could you contaminate the meat of that chicken?
34 A. Correct.
35
36 Q. Are there any other stages of the process at which
37 contamination is potentially a particular risk?
38 A. I think salmonella is a very adherent organism and,
39 although we wash the carcasses quite thoroughly, it is
40 difficult to remove all the organisms. The other main
41 point at which cross contamination can occur is during the
42 deboning process where the meat is taken off the carcass.
43 This is all done by hand. Also the sorting of the meat
44 after it has been removed a lot of this is done by hand to
45 check for bone contamination. I am sure that this is where
46 cross-contamination can occur.
47
48 Q. That is, in a sense, a slightly different problem, is it?
49 That might be contamination by contact with the environment
50 whether human or a surface or something?
51 A. Well, I think it is contamination from carcass to
52 carcass using the human being as the mechanism for
53 conveying that.
54
55 Q. There comes a stage at which different pieces of different
56 birds are married up to make a product, does there not?
57 A. Yes.
58
59 Q. No doubt if you have a piece of meat which is contaminated
60 for whatever reason, whether before it gets to the plant or
