U.S – Safe Foods Corporation (SFC), a biotechnology firm that offers food safety, poultry, and food processing services, has come up with a new non-chemical intervention that could improve the filtering and cleaning process of scalders, leading to better pathogen reduction at poultry processing plants.
Solids and sediments that accumulate in the scalder during the processing day can result in cross-contamination and increase the pathogen prevalence on product.
Additionally, employees must shovel the solids and sediments out of the scalder with a shovel at the end of production, adding another task to the sanitation process.
“This technology has the potential to make a tremendous microbial impact with a simple, low-maintenance piece of equipment.
“The industry is always looking for new non-chemical solutions that improve sustainability and reduce pathogens. This is our second innovation to address this need,” said Daniel Lehmkuhl, Product Manager, Technical Services, Safe Food Corporation.
The Vorclone scalder filtration technology uses physics and natural forces to remove sediment from the scalder, into the discharge tray and down the drain without any moving parts. It can complete up to five complete recirculation loops an hour on a 2,000-gallon tank.
“The physics behind this technology aren’t new, but we have been able to harness them and apply them to this specific application,” explained Lehmkuhl.
During preliminary tests, the approach resulted in the reduction of several pathogens, including Campylobacter, says the company. It also implies that the technology could reduce the amount of time needed to sanitize the scalder in poultry processing plants.
Safe Foods Corporation plans to commence tests of the non-chemical intervention for poultry scalder filtration in commercial facilities this summer.
“We’re excited for this next step in sustainable pathogen reduction. There are opportunities there to hopefully revolutionize what comes in that space,” Lehmkuhl said.
Safe Foods Corporation was founded in 1999 by a team of entrepreneurs with a passion to ensure a safer food supply for the world, by dramatically reducing the number of foodborne illnesses and foodborne illness-related deaths around the world.
With an assortment of effective antimicrobials and a variety of equipment options, the company says it has the ability to develop a multi-hurdle intervention program that is a perfect fit for each client’s plant.
“We carefully analyze a client’s process to find a combination of solutions that produces the greatest pathogen load reduction possible in each production zone.
“Safe Foods’ antimicrobial interventions have a track record of being some of the most efficacious in the industry, which is why so many processors partner with Safe Foods to manage their food safety program,” Safe Foods notes.
“This technology has the potential to make a tremendous microbial impact with a simple, low-maintenance piece of equipment.
The industry is always looking for new non-chemical solutions that improve sustainability and reduce pathogens. This is our second innovation to address this need.”
Come October 30 – November 1, the company will be showcasing its innovation at the Poultry Tech Summit in Atlanta, Georgia.
This one-of-a-kind in-person event facilitates the transition of innovation technologies from researchers and entrepreneurs into commercial applications for the benefit of the poultry industry, according to WATT Global Media.
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