Research Provides Method To Improve Poultry Product Shelf Life And Safety

The USPOULTRY Foundation announces the completion of a funded research project at the USDA Agricultural Research Service in Athens, Ga., that has revealed a method to improve poultry product shelf life and safety. The research is part of the Association’s comprehensive research program encompassing all phases of poultry and egg production and processing. A brief summary of the completed project is shown below. A complete report may be obtained by going to USPOULTRY’s website, www.uspoultry.org. The project summary is as follows.

Project #F066: Cold Plasma-Based Antimicrobial Packaging System to Improve the Shelf Life and Reduce Foodborne Pathogens in Poultry Breast Meat
(Dr. Hong Zhuang, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Athens, Ga.)

Dr. Hong Zhuang at the USDA Agricultural Research Service recently completed a research project in which he optimized the conditions for a new type of packaging system for raw poultry meat products. The system uses electrical current to generate ozone inside sealed packages of poultry meat and gives a significant reduction in both spoilage microbes and potential foodborne pathogens. This new approach to product quality control offers several potential advantages over traditional methods.

For more information, visit www.uspoultry.org.