A Comparison of Salmonella Survival and Detection Using an Enrichment Technique in Dry- and Wet-Inoculated Rendered Chicken Fat Treated with Sodium Bisulfate

Application of Acidulants to Control Salmonella spp. in Rendered Animal Fats and Oils with Different Levels of Unsaturation

Salmonella-contaminated pet foods could potentially become a source of human salmonellosis. This study evaluated the survival of Salmonella without and with the addition of acidulants in different fat types (chicken fat (CF), canola oil (CO), Menhaden fish oil (FO), lard (La), and tallow (Ta)) commonly used to coat dry pet food kibbles. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of individual acidulants and the combination were determined using the broth microdilution method. Autoclave-sterilized rendered fats were treated with pre-determined concentrations of antimicrobial acidulants (0.5% sodium bisulfate (SBS), 0.5% phosphoric acid (PA), 0.25% lactic acid (LA), etc.) and incubated overnight at 45 °C. The treated fats were inoculated with approximately eight logs of a Salmonella cocktail. Microbiological analyses were conducted separately for the fat-phase and water-phase at predetermined time intervals (0, 2, 6, 12, and 24 h) by plating them onto TSA plates. After incubating at 37 °C for 24 h, the plate count results were expressed as log CFU/mL. The MIC of SBS was 0.3125%, and of PA and LA were both 0.1953% against cocktail Salmonella serotypes. We observed a possible synergistic effect when SBS and organic acid were combined. All the acidulant tested at targeted concentrations individually as well as in combination with organic acids were highly effective against Salmonella spp. (non-detectable within 2 h) across different fat types. A potent anti-bactericidal effect leading to non-detectable Salmonella immediately (<1 h) at 45 °C was observed in the aqueous phase of the fish oil system, even without the addition of acidulants. These findings are significant for the dry pet food industries, where potential post-processing contamination of Salmonella could be controlled by treating fats and oils with acidulants.

Temperature-Dependent Antimicrobial Activity of Menhaden Fish Oil In Vitro and on Pet Food Kibbles against Salmonella

ABSTRACT

Fish oil inclusion into a dry pet food provides a source of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids. Polyunsaturated fatty acids in fish oil have antibacterial activity against various foodborne pathogens, such as Salmonella and pathogenic Escherichia coli. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of temperature applied to dry pet food kibbles on the antimicrobial activity of menhaden fish oil against Salmonella spp. Sterile menhaden oil was inoculated with ∼8 log of a Salmonella cocktail (∼3% moisture; Salmonella Enteritidis, Salmonella Heidelberg, and Salmonella Typhimurium) and incubated at 25, 37, and 45°C. Microbiological evaluation of the water phase was done after 2 h on tryptic soy agar. Sterile kibbles were coated with fish oil (7.0%, w/w). Canola oil coating was kept as a control. One hour after coating, the kibbles were inoculated with ∼9 log of Salmonella and incubated at the respective temperature. The microbiological evaluation was conducted at 0, 2, 6, 12, and 24 h. The oil phase of the fish oil system was negative for Salmonella after 2 h of incubation and confirmed by enrichment and PCR. From the water phase, 8.1 and 7.3 log were recovered at 25 and 37°C, respectively, and no Salmonella was detected at 45°C. On the kibble, menhaden oil had higher antimicrobial (P ≤ 0.05) activity after 12 h at 25°C and throughout the experiment at 37°C. At 45°C, the fish oil had a superior antimicrobial activity against the Salmonella cocktail after 2 h. When the fish oil alone was compared at different temperatures, a higher antimicrobial activity was observed at 37 and 45°C across all time points. The results indicate antimicrobial activity of menhaden oil increases with temperature. This is an important finding to the pet food industry: a higher fat holding temperature (∼45°C) and the application process may help mitigate Salmonella on extruded kibbles.

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