Formulating Poultry Processing Sanitizers from Alkaline Salts of Fatty Acids

Some poultry processing operations remove harmful microbes from the carcass of broiler chickens during processing, but other processing operations can cause further contamination. Although commercial poultry processors use chemical sanitizers to reduce microbial contamination during processing, poultry is still recognized as a major cause of human foodborne diseases. Some naturally occurring fatty acids in plant and animal tissues possess antimicrobial activity that can kill bacteria, yeasts, and viruses. These microbicidal fatty acids such as, caproic, caprylic, capric, lauric, myristic, and oleic acids have little or no human toxicity; and soaps are formed when these fatty acids are combined with sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxides. The soaps can act as cleansers that can wash debris and microorganisms from the surface of carcasses during processing while maintaining the antimicrobial activity of the fatty acids. Since these substances are safe for use on foods, they are ideal candidates for formulating new, effective sanitizers for poultry processing operations. Research focused on making new sanitizers from these fatty acids could produce new sanitizers that can be used produce safe, wholesome poultry meat.