Treatment of animal carcasses

• US 9,770,040 B2
• Filed: 11/10/2016
• Issued: 09/26/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ecolab USA Incorporated (Ecolab, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Ecolab USA Incorporated (Ecolab, Inc.)
• Inventors: Gutzmann, Timothy A., Anderson, Brian J., Reed, Pamela J., Cords, Bruce R., Grab, Lawrence A., Richardson, Edward H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Weddington, Kevin E
• Application Number:
  US15/348,931
• Publication Number:
  US 20170094985A1
• Time in Patent Office: 320 Days
• Field of Search: 514557, 426652
• 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 an animal carcass to reduce a microbial population in resulting cut meat, the method comprising:

diluting a concentrated antimicrobial composition, wherein the concentrated antimicrobial composition comprises;

(1) about 20% to about 50% acetic acid, and at least about 0.5% peracetic acid (PAA), or

(2) at least about 0.5% acetic acid, and about 0.5% to about 20% peracetic acid (PAA); and

treating the carcass with the diluted antimicrobial composition for at least about 10 seconds, the diluted antimicrobial composition comprising;

(i) at least about 2 parts per million (ppm) of one or more mono- or di-peroxycarboxylic acids having up to 12 carbon atoms;

(ii) at least about 20 ppm of one or more carboxylic acids having up to 18 carbon atoms,

thereby reducing the microbial population by at least one log₁₀ reduction.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the treatment does not induce a deleterious organoleptic effect.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the population reduction comprises at least two log₁₀ reduction in the microbial population.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the population reduction comprises at least three log₁₀ reduction in the microbial population.

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

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

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the carcass is a muscle meat.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the muscle meat is selected from the group consisting of beef, pork, veal, buffalo, and lamb.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the carcass is sea food.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the sea food is selected from the group consisting of scallops, shrimp, crab, octopus, mussels, squid, and lobster.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the carcass is poultry.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the poultry is selected from the group consisting of chicken, turkey, ostrich, game hen, squab, and pheasant.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the concentrated antimicrobial composition comprises about 20% to about 50% acetic acid and about 0.5% to about 20% peracetic acid (PAA).

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the concentrated antimicrobial composition comprises about 0.5% to about 60% acetic acid and about 0.5% to about 20% peracetic acid (PAA).

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the concentrated antimicrobial composition comprises about 10% to about 60% acetic acid and about 0.5% to about 20% peracetic acid (PAA).

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the concentrated antimicrobial composition further comprises an oxidizer.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the oxidizer is hydrogen peroxide, and the concentrated antimicrobial composition comprises about 1% to about 35% hydrogen peroxide, or at least about 5% hydrogen peroxide.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the concentrated antimicrobial composition further comprises about 0.01% to about 10% of a sequestrant, about 0.1% to about 20% of a hydrotrope, and/or about 0.01% to about 10% of a thickening or gelling agent.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the diluted antimicrobial composition comprises between about 10 ppm and about 500 ppm of peracetic acid.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the diluted antimicrobial composition comprises between about 10 ppm and about 500 ppm of one or more mono- or di-peroxycarboxylic acids selected from the group consisting of peroxyformic acid, peroxyacetic acid, peroxypropionic acid, peroxybutanoic acid, peroxypentanoic acid, peroxyhexanoic acid, peroxyheptanoic acid, peroxyoctanoic acid, peroxynonanoic acid, peroxydecanoic acid, peroxyundecanoic acid, and peroxydodecanoic acid.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the diluted antimicrobial composition comprises between about 20 ppm and about 10,000 ppm of acetic acid.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein the diluted antimicrobial composition comprises between about 20 ppm and about 10,000 ppm of one or more carboxylic acids having up to 18 carbon atoms selected from the group consist of formic acid, acetic acid, propionic acid, butanoic acid, pentanoic acid, hexanoic acid, heptanoic acid, octanoic acid, nonanoic acid, decanoic acid, undecanoic acid, dodecanoic acid, lactic acid, maleic acid, ascorbic acid, citric acid, hydroxyacetic acid, neopentanoic acid, neoheptanoic acid, neodecanoic acid, oxalic acid, malonic acid, succinic acid, glutaric acid, adipic acid, pimelic acid, and subric acid.

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

24. The method of claim 1, wherein the diluted antimicrobial composition is applied to the carcass by means of a spray, a fog, or a foam, or in the form of a thickened or gelled solution.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the diluted antimicrobial composition is applied by means of an electrostatically accelerated spray.

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

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

27. The method of claim 1, wherein the carcass is immersed or dipped in the diluted antimicrobial composition.

28. The method of claim 27, the method further comprising agitating the diluted antimicrobial composition.

29. The method of claim 1, wherein the pH of the diluted antimicrobial composition is from about 1 to about 11.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the pH is from about 2 to about 10.