Treatment of animal carcasses

• US 8,030,351 B2
• Filed: 08/20/2007
• Issued: 10/04/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ecolab USA Incorporated (Ecolab, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Ecolab, Inc.
• Inventors: Richardson, Edward H., Anderson, Brian J., Reed, Pamela J., Cords, Bruce R., Grab, Lawrence A., Gutzmann, Timothy A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Weddington; Kevin E
• Application Number:
  US11/894,334
• Publication Number:
  US 20070292580A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,506 Days
• Field of Search: 514/557, 426/652
• US Class Current: 514/557
• CPC Class Codes: A01N 2300/00 Combinations or mixtures of active ingredients covered by classes A01N27/00 - A01N65/48 with other active or formulation relevant ingredients, e.g. specific carrier materials or surfactants, covered by classes A01N25/00 - A01N65/48
• CPC Class Codes: A01N 25/06 Aerosols
• CPC Class Codes: A01N 37/00 Biocides, pest repellants or attractants, or plant growth regulators containing organic compounds containing a carbon atom having three bonds to hetero atoms with at the most two bonds to halogen, e.g. carboxylic acids containing cyclopropane carboxylic acids or derivatives thereof, e.g. cyclopropane carboxylic acid nitriles, A01N53/00
• CPC Class Codes: A01N 37/02 Saturated carboxylic acids or thio analogues thereof; Derivatives thereof
• CPC Class Codes: A01N 37/16 containing the group; Thio analogues thereof
• CPC Class Codes: A01N 59/00 Biocides, pest repellants or attractants, or plant growth regulators containing elements or inorganic compounds
• CPC Class Codes: A23B 4/12 Preserving with acids; Acid fermentation
• CPC Class Codes: A23B 4/14 Preserving with chemicals not covered by groups A23B4/02 or A23B4/12
• CPC Class Codes: A23B 4/20 Organic compounds; Microorganisms; Enzymes
• CPC Class Codes: A23B 4/24 Inorganic compounds
• CPC Class Codes: A23B 4/30 by spraying of liquids
• CPC Class Codes: A23L 3/3508 containing carboxyl groups
• CPC Class Codes: A23L 3/358 Inorganic compounds
• CPC Class Codes: A23V 2002/00 Food compositions, function of food ingredients or processes for food or foodstuffs
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/086 Protective screens, e.g. all weather or wind screens
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 40/90 in food processing or handling, e.g. food conservation

Abstract

Described is a method of sanitizing animal carcasses using aqueous streams having an antimicrobial composition added to the stream. Preferably, the antimicrobial composition includes a mixture of one or more carboxylic acids having up to 18 carbon atoms and one or more peroxycarboxylic acids having up to 12 carbon atoms, preferably a mixture of a C₂-C₄ peroxycarboxylic acid and a C₈-C₁₂ peroxycarboxylic acid. Also described is a novel antimicrobial composition adapted for sanitizing animal carcasses containing a mixture of one or more C₂-C₄ peroxycarboxylic acids and one or more C₈-C₁₂ peroxycarboxylic acids and an alpha-hydroxy mono- or dicarboxylic acid.

Claims

1. A method of treating a beef, pork, veal, buffalo, lamb or sea food carcass to reduce a microbial population in resulting cut meat, the method comprising the steps of:

treating said carcass with an antimicrobial composition for at least 10 seconds, the antimicrobial composition comprising;

(i) an effective antimicrobial amount comprising between 10 ppm and 250 ppm of one or more mono- or di-peroxycarboxylic acids having from 2 to 12 carbon atoms; and

(ii) an effective antimicrobial amount comprising between 20 ppm and 1000 ppm of one or more carboxylic acids having up to 18 carbon atoms; and

thereby reducing the microbial population by at least one log₁₀.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the population comprises a human pathogen.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the population comprises Escherichia coli.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the carcass is beef muscle meat.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the sea food carcass is selected from the group consisting of scallop, shrimp, crab, octopus, mussel, squid and lobster.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the peroxycarboxylic acid comprises one or more peroxycarboxylic acids having from 2 to 4 carbon atoms and a peroxycarboxylic acid having from 8 to 12 carbon atoms.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the peroxycarboxylic acid comprises peroxyacetic acid and peroxyoctanoic or peroxydecanoic acid, or mixtures thereof.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein the peroxycarboxylic acid having from 2 to 4 carbon atoms is peroxyacetic acid and the peroxycarboxylic acid having from 8 to 12 carbon atoms is peroxyoctanoic acid resulting in a ratio of about 10 to about 1 parts by weight of peroxyacetic acid per each 1 part of carboxylic acid.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the carboxylic acid is acetic acid.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the carboxylic acid is an alpha-hydroxy mono or dicarboxylic acid having from 3 to 6 carbon atoms.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the carboxylic acid is lactic acid.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein said antimicrobial composition comprises about 2 to 25 parts by weight of hydrogen peroxide per each one million parts of the composition.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein said antimicrobial composition is applied to the carcass by means of a spray.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein said antimicrobial composition is applied to the carcass by means of a fog.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein said antimicrobial composition is applied to the carcass by means of a foam.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein said antimicrobial composition is applied to the carcass by applying in the form of a thickened or gelled solution.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein all or part of the carcass is dipped in said antimicrobial composition.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein a solution comprising the antimicrobial composition is agitated.

19. The method of claim 1 which further includes a vacuum treatment step.

20. The method of claim 1 which further includes the step of applying an activated light source to said carcass.

21. The method of claim 1, further comprising reducing the microbial population by at least two log₁₀.

22. The method of claim 1, further comprising reducing the microbial population by at least three log₁₀.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein the treatment does not induce an organoleptic effect.

24. The method of claim 13, wherein the antimicrobial composition is sprayed onto the carcass at a pressure of at least 50 psi at a temperature of up to about 60°

C., resulting in a contact time of at least 30 seconds.

25. The method of claim 4, wherein the peroxycarboxylic acid comprises peroxyacetic acid.

26. The method of claim 4, wherein the carboxylic acid is acetic acid.

27. The method of claim 4, wherein the carboxylic acid is an alpha-hydroxy mono or dicarboxylic acid having from 3 to 6 carbon atoms.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the carboxylic acid is lactic acid.

29. The method of claim 4, wherein said antimicrobial composition comprises about 10 to 1000 parts by weight of hydrogen peroxide per each one million parts of the composition.

30. The method of claim 4, wherein said antimicrobial composition comprises about 2 to 25 parts by weight of hydrogen peroxide per each one million parts of the composition.

31. The method of claim 4, wherein said antimicrobial composition is applied to the carcass by means of a spray.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the antimicrobial composition is sprayed onto the carcass at a pressure of at least 50 psi at a temperature of up to about 60°

C., resulting in a contact time of at least 30 seconds.

33. The method of claim 4, wherein all or part of the carcass is dipped in said antimicrobial composition.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein a solution comprising the antimicrobial composition is agitated.

35. The method of claim 4, further comprising reducing the microbial population by at least two log₁₀.

36. The method of claim 4, further comprising reducing the microbial population by at least three log₁₀.

37. The method of claim 4, wherein the treatment does not induce an organoleptic effect.

38. A method of treating a poultry carcass to reduce a microbial population in the resulting cut meat, the method comprising the steps of:

treating said carcass with an antimicrobial composition for at least 10 seconds, the antimicrobial composition comprising;

(i) an effective antimicrobial amount comprising between 10 ppm and 250 ppm of one or more mono- or di-peroxycarboxylic acids having from 2 to 12 carbon atoms; and

(ii) an effective antimicrobial amount comprising between 20 ppm and 1000 ppm of one or more carboxylic acids having up to 18 carbon atoms; and

thereby reducing the microbial population by at least one log₁₀.

39. The method of claim 38, further comprising reducing the microbial population by at least two log₁₀.

40. The method of claim 38, further comprising reducing the microbial population by at least three log₁₀.

41. The method of claim 38 wherein the population comprises a human pathogen.

42. The method of claim 38 wherein the population comprises Escherichia coli.

43. The method of claim 38 wherein the poultry carcass is chicken, turkey, ostrich, game hen, squab or pheasant.

44. The method of claim 38 wherein the peroxycarboxylic acid comprises peroxyacetic acid.

45. The method of claim 38 wherein the peroxycarboxylic acid comprises one or more peroxycarboxylic acids having from 2 to 4 carbon atoms and a peroxycarboxylic acid having from 8 to 12 carbon atoms.

46. The method of claim 38 wherein the peroxycarboxylic acid comprises peroxyacetic acid and peroxyoctanoic or peroxydecanoic acid, or mixtures thereof.

47. The method of claim 38 wherein the peroxycarboxylic acid having from 2 to 4 carbon atoms is peroxyacetic acid and the peroxycarboxylic acid having from 8 to 12 carbon atoms is peroxyoctanoic acid resulting in a ratio of about 10 to about 1 parts by weight of peroxyacetic acid per each 1 part of carboxylic acid.

48. The method of claim 38 wherein the carboxylic acid is acetic acid.

49. The method of claim 38 wherein the carboxylic acid is an alpha-hydroxy mono or dicarboxylic acid having from 3 to 6 carbon atoms.

50. The method of claim 49 wherein the carboxylic acid is lactic acid.

51. The method of claim 38 wherein said antimicrobial composition comprises about 2 to 25 parts by weight of hydrogen peroxide per each one million parts of the composition.

52. The method of claim 38 wherein said antimicrobial composition comprises about 10 to 1000 parts by weight of hydrogen peroxide per each one million parts of the composition.

53. The method of claim 38, wherein the treatment does not induce an organoleptic effect.

54. The method of claim 38, wherein said antimicrobial composition is applied to the carcass by means of a spray.

55. The method of claim 53, wherein said antimicrobial composition comprises about 100 to about 250 ppm of peracetic acid.

56. The method of claim 53, wherein the antimicrobial composition is sprayed onto the carcass at a pressure of at least 50 psi at a temperature of up to about 60°

C., resulting in a contact time of at least 30 seconds.

57. The method of claim 38 wherein all or part of the carcass is dipped in said antimicrobial composition.

58. The method of claim 57 wherein said antimicrobial composition comprises about 10 to about 100 ppm of peracetic acid.

59. The method of claim 57 wherein a solution comprising the antimicrobial composition is agitated.

60. A method of treating a poultry carcass to reduce a microbial population in the resulting cut meat, the method comprising the steps of:

dipping all or a part of said carcass in an antimicrobial composition comprising;

(i) between 10 ppm and 250 ppm of peroxyacetic acid; and

(ii) between 20 ppm and 1000 ppm of acetic acid; and

wherein said carcass is treated with the composition for at least 10 seconds, thereby reducing the microbial population by at least one log₁₀.

61. The method of claim 60, further comprising reducing the microbial population by at least two log₁₀.

62. The method of claim 60, further comprising reducing the microbial population by at least three log₁₀.

63. The method of claim 60, wherein the population comprises a human pathogen.

64. The method of claim 60, wherein the population comprises Escherichia coli.

65. The method of claim 60, wherein the poultry carcass is chicken, turkey, ostrich, game hen, squab or pheasant.

66. The method of claim 60, wherein the antimicrobial composition further comprises a peroxycarboxylic acid having from 8 to 12 carbon atoms.

67. The method of claim 60, wherein said antimicrobial composition comprises about 10 to 1000 parts by weight of hydrogen peroxide per each one million parts of the composition.

68. The method of claim 60 wherein said antimicrobial composition comprises about 2 to 25 parts by weight of hydrogen peroxide per each one million parts of the composition.

69. The method of claim 67, wherein the peroxycarboxylic acid having from 8 to 12 carbon atoms comprises peroxyoctanoic or peroxydecanoic acid, or mixtures thereof.

70. The method of claim 60, wherein the treatment does not induce an organoleptic effect.

71. The method of claim 60, wherein said antimicrobial composition comprises about 10 to about 100 ppm of peracetic acid.

72. The method of claim 60, wherein a solution comprising the antimicrobial composition is agitated.