FreshFx Recognized for use in the Scalder as a Solution to the 'Yield/Pathogen Reductio...( Article in Watt Poultry USA states t...),Health

Article in Watt Poultry USA states that acidic treatments benefit poultry

processing plants.

SHREVEPORT, La., Nov. 6 /PRNewswire/ -- FreshFx Antimicrobial Solution, which is used to reduce pathogens during poultry processing, was identified in an October 2007 Watt Poultry USA article as helping to solve the "yield/pathogen reduction dilemma."

Citing recent studies in large-scale processing plants, University of Georgia Associate Professor of Poultry Science Scott Russell, Ph.D., stated that adding an acidic disinfectant chemical (such as FreshFx) during scalding "benefits the system, allowing scalder temperatures to be lowered without the concern that Salmonella will begin to grow. And, acids greatly improve picking."

FreshFx is USDA-approved for use anywhere along the processing line: pre-evisceration in the scalder, over picking rails and in the New York rinse; throughout evisceration and for on-line reprocessing (OLR) as rinses or dips; and for pH control in the chillers, as well as post-chill. Since its approval as a processing aid in January 2003, FreshFx has been used to disinfect nearly 2 billion birds.

"FreshFx can maintain antimicrobial activity even in the presence of the accumulated organic load found in scalder water and other immersion systems," said John Dankert, Ph.D., CEO of SteriFx Inc., which manufactures FreshFx. "This contrasts sharply with alternatives that would 'gas-off' at high temperatures or be inhibited by the organic load, reducing effectiveness."

The ability to use lower temperatures for scalding reduces energy costs and decreases the amount of fats and oils that are released, which enhances antimicrobial effectiveness. Also, when less fats and oils are released, an increase in yield not related to moisture might be obtained.

Of course, lower temperatures can also create an environment where Salmonella and other pathogens can thrive, and also lead to less efficient p
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