Domestic food safety research

Review of Factors That Influence Cooked Meat Color

Campylobacteriosis is the most frequently reported gastrointestinal illness in New Zealand, with greater than 50% of cases being attributed to consumption of chicken (Eberhart-Phillips et al., 1997). A recent commentary by Baker and colleagues (2006) on the rates of Campylobacter infection in New Zealand has suggested that all fresh poultry should be temporarily withdrawn from the food supply and replaced with frozen or processed alternatives.

The main objective of this work was to identify means that could be employed to minimise
risk and reduce the burden of campylobacteriosis in the New Zealand population by reducing the numbers of Campylobacter on fresh poultry meat. An assessment was to be made of the effectiveness of temperature controls by freezing or chilling in the reduction of
Campylobacter numbers achieved under standard industry practice, and under potential new chilling regimes.

This project was initiated to quantify the reduction of two Campylobacter jejuni strains,
STu48 and ST474, following commercial freezing (-30°C), commercial frozen storage (-
21°C) for two weeks and domestic storage (-18°C) for a further eight weeks. Significant but
variable reductions in C. jejuni numbers were observed over time for both strains, with
reductions most rapid during the 14 days of commercial frozen storage.

Domestic food practices in New Zealand:
Quantifying the reduction of Campylobacter Jejuni on skin-on chicken breasts frozen and stored for up to 10 weeks at -12°C