4.25.06
Water Rinse Not Required When Using FreshFx® Antimicrobial Solution
According to the USDA/FSIS, poultry processors that apply FreshFx Antimicrobial Solution post-chill do not need a final water rinse. This latest USDA/FSIS clearance ensures that there are no “labeling” issues with regard to poultry products treated post-chiller with FreshFx without the water rinse.
“This corroboration from the FSIS is great news for poultry processors,” says John R. Dankert, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer of SteriFx, Inc., which manufactures FreshFx. “Not only will it allow them to skip a water rinse in any post-chiller application, it also opens the way for secondary processors to use our product directly on poultry pieces and parts pre-grind to reduce Salmonella in ground products. This will also result in water savings for the plants using FreshFx in this way.”
This use of FreshFx is consistent with the Food and Drug Administration’s definition of a processing aid, and affirms that no labeling changes are required when used post-chill, or when used by secondary processors to reduce Salmonella. This does not directly impact users of FreshFx for any pre-chill applications, but it does offer them an added opportunity for a post-chill application to reduce Salmonella and/or extend shelf life.
FreshFx is a safe, non-toxic mixture of GRAS components. By applying FreshFx antimicrobial solution at multiple points during processing, poultry processors have seen an incoming 92 percent Salmonella rate (pre-scald) fall to 3 percent or less post-chill, based on recent testing validated by an independent testing laboratory.
SteriFx has received USDA approval for use of FreshFx as a processing aid anywhere along the processing line, and can be applied as a spray or used as an immersion dip. FreshFx can be used for On-Line Reprocessing (OLR). What’s more, because of the solution’s prolonged efficacy, FreshFx can be recycled back from the OLR application to either a pre-evisceration immersion tank, or back to the New York Rinse and then to the Pickers. This reuse permits multi-use/multi-application of the solution, providing an effective and economical means to reduce Salmonella, E. coli, Campylobacter and Listeria in poultry processing, which also reduces water use.
John Dankert, Ph.D.
SteriFx, Inc.
318-425-2515
About SteriFx
SteriFx Inc. provides pathogen control systems, and microbiological and regulatory consulting services, dedicated to reducing or eliminating pathogens for a variety of markets, as well as providing up-to-date information on new regulatory requirements.
For more about SteriFx, please inquire.
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