Increasing Product Lifetime in Injection Systems (Brazil)

Area of Concern

Questions related to product shelf life in a poultry industry plant.

Problem

A large poultry factory sought to validate the benefits of using PerQuat® technology in injection systems to increase product shelf life.

Context

The source of the problem was related to a suspected accumulation of deterioration-causing microorganisms in the brine tank and in the grafting gullets. The existing sanitation program was not effective.

Results

Results of Microbiological Analysis
From the 3rd to the 12th day, significant reductions in APC and total coliform contamination per day were observed. In general, microbiological limits were reduced from 4 to 5 days after treatment with PerQuat compared to the control sample, leading to an increase in product shelf life.

Organoleptic Results
The organoleptic differences between the two sets of samples were even more striking. The pre-treatment samples began to exude odors on the 7th day, while the post-treatment samples remained odorless until the 12th day. The color of the control samples remained normal until the 8th day, when the meat began to acquire a brownish color. Brown spots were also observed until the 13th day when the test was interrupted. There was no discoloration of the treated samples. The color remained normal from the 3rd to the 13th day. The surface characteristics of the control samples remained normal only until the 7th day, when a scorrefying film was observed in all parts. The appearance of the treated samples remained normal until the 12th day.