Comparison of Buffered Peptone Water to Neutralizing Buffered Peptone Water for Salmonella Detection from Commercially Slaughtered Whole Chicken Carcasses and Cut Chicken Parts

Poultry processors apply sanitizing interventions to reduce foodborne pathogen prevalence on fresh poultry. Nevertheless, chemical sanitizer application may subsequently result in carryover of sanitizer residues into rinse fluid collected during routine verification sampling. This may result in failure to detect viable pathogens, including Salmonella enterica. This study compared Salmonella detection from commercially slaughtered whole chicken carcasses and cut chicken parts (wings, thighs, split breasts, drumsticks) following sanitization and rinsing with either buffered peptone water (BPW) or neutralizing buffered peptone water (nBPW). Salmonella detection from commercial carcasses was observed only for nBPW-rinsed carcasses following sanitization; detection frequencies differed between two commercial establishments (Establishment A: 15.0%; Establishment B: 43.0%) (P < 0.0001). For cut chicken parts, statistical differences in Salmonella detection frequencies were detected among the parts types (wings: 16.0%; thighs: 4.0%; split breasts: 21.0%; drumsticks: 0.0%) (P < 0.0001). Neither the establishment nor the rinsing fluid composition influenced Salmonella detection in cut parts (P > 0.05). Data indicate that Salmonella detection may be influenced by the sanitizer selected, application methods, and rinsing medium formulation.