Large numbers of dead seals with characteristic spiral lesions have been washing ashore around the North Atlantic over the past two decades. Interactions with ship propellers and shark predation have been suggested as the likely causal mechanisms. However, new evidence points towards a more likely candidate: grey seal predation. An adult male grey seal was observed and recorded catching, killin...

Experiments were conducted to determine the effect of prechill trisodium phosphate (TSP) treatment on reducing salmonellae recovery from broiler carcasses immediately after chilling or following 7 d of storage. Carcasses were sampled for salmonellae using whole carcass enrichment for 24 h at 37 degrees C. In each of 7 trials, 40 carcasses were obtained from a commercial processing plant. Batche...

Effects of spray washing carcasses with Lauric Acid (LA)-Potassium Hydroxide (KOH) on bacteria recovered from Whole-Carcass Rinsates (WCR) were examined. Carcass skin was inoculated with antibiotic resistant strains of Escherichia coli, Salmonella Typhimirum and Campylobacter coli. The first trial examined effects of washing carcasses with water, 0.25% LA-0.125% KOH, 0.50% LA-0.25% KOH, 1.00% L...

The bactericidal effect of mixtures of KOH and lauric acid (LA) on the microflora of broiler carcasses was examined. Carcasses were washed by shaking in KOH-LA for 1 min on a mechanical shaker. In one set of experiments, the population of bacteria recovered from carcasses following each of 3 successive washes in 1.0% KOH-2.0% LA or in distilled water (control) was enumerated. The number of tota...

Cattle (n = 303) were visually selected from four feed yards to represent six phenotypes (English [EN; n = 50], 3/4 English-1/4 Brahman [ENB; n = 52], 1/2 English-1/2 Exotic [ENEX; n = 56], 1/2 English-1/4 Exotic-1/4 Brahman [ENEXB; n = 47], 3/4 Exotic-1/4 Brahman [EXB; n = 49], and 1/2 Exotic-1/4 English-1/4 Brahman [EXENB; n = 49]). Carcasses were processed at a commercial beef packing facili...

A study was conducted to determine external microbiology of genetically featherless broiler carcasses after forced cloacal fecal expulsion. Full-fed featherless broilers were placed into coops, transported, unloaded, shackled, stunned, suffocated, weighed, and divided into 3 treatments groups. Carcasses were transferred to a separate shackle line and passed through a machine designed to induce ...

This study was conducted to determine the effectiveness of the SmartMV prototype BeefCam Video Imaging System (prototype BeefCam) for classifying beef carcasses into palatability ("certified" or "not certified" as palatable) groups. Carcasses (n = 769) were selected from four beef-packing plants to represent three USDA quality grade groups (Top Choice, TC; Low Choice, LC; and Select, SE). Follo...

A total of 120 pigs [Duroc × (Landrace × Large White); initial average BW: 100.3 ± 2.5 kg] were used to investigate the effects of sex (barrows and gilts) and dietary total Lys restriction (7.0, 6.5, and 6.0 g·kg(-1)) on growth performance and carcass, meat, and fat characteristics. Pigs were intended for high-quality dry-cured ham from Spain (called Teruel ham), and a minimum fat thickness at ...

Genetically feathered and featherless sibling broilers selected for matched BW were killed, scalded, and defeathered to determine the consequences of feathers and empty feather follicles on the recovery of bacteria from carcass breast skin. In trial 1, the vents of all carcasses were plugged and sutured before scalding to prevent the expulsion of cloacal contents during picking. In trial 2, hal...