Effective Control of Salmonella in In Vitro and Industrial Application in Turkey Processing Using Bacteriophage Intervention Phageguard STM

Salmonella is responsible for a substantial portion of foodborne illnesses reported annually in the United States. Poultry products are primary reservoirs for Salmonella, making the consumption of contaminated poultry a leading cause of salmonellosis. This study examined the efficacy of bacteriophage product Phageguard S™ against Salmonella on raw turkey products, both in vitro and in an industrial trial. For the in vitro phase of the study 1% Phageguard S was used to treat turkey breast meat inoculated to 2x104 CFU/g with 10 Salmonella serotypes. Results presented significant (P<0.001 in a two-way ANOVA with Sidak’s multiple comparisons test (α<0.05)) reductions of viable Salmonella cells, with reductions ranging between 1.02–1.43 log10 CFU/cm2. Subsequently, the industrial trial entailed two grinder/blender systems side-by-side (Phageguard S treatment versus control), which processed turkey wings into 85% lean raw ground turkey. Salmonella detection and quantification data were collected for 10 days based on natural contamination. Salmonella prevalence was 56% in control ground turkey and 10% in ground turkey treated with Phageguard S. All Salmonella positive Phageguard S treated samples (10%) were below the limit of detection (1 CFU/g). These findings show Phageguard S to be a successful method for reducing Salmonella levels in raw ground turkey.