Evaluation of the effects of photonic decontamination on reduction of Salmonella and Campylobacter and a comparative transcriptomics analysis following its application on Salmonella Infantis

Abstract

Recently, there has been an increase in research into new methods responding to the unsuccessful efforts in reducing foodborne pathogen infections associated with poultry products such as Salmonella and Campylobacter. With the looming concern of antibiotic-resistant bacteria surviving past the current antimicrobial interventions used in poultry processing along with consumer concerns and environmental impacts of the overuse of chemicals on poultry products, novel antimicrobial intervention methods have become an increasingly popular topic of conversation. The first chapter reviews published literature on these topics. Developing an effective method for reducing foodborne pathogens in animal products while preserving meat quality and application efficiency is an important topic of research. To address this, in the second chapter, we evaluated the efficacy of photonic decontamination on whole chicken wings and tenders inoculated with Salmonella and Campylobacter. Treatments included evaluating photonic decontamination alone, the inclusion of chemical antimicrobial dips with and without photonic decontamination treatment, and photonic decontamination on multiple parts simultaneously. Photonic decontamination alone and in combination with chemical dips was able to significantly reduce Salmonella and Campylobacter on both wings and tenders. Additionally, in the third chapter, we focused on elucidating the molecular basis of photonic decontamination using comparative transcriptomics analysis of Salmonella Infantis. Comparisons were made between a 100-voltage treatment and no treatment, a 200-voltage treatment and no treatment, and between a 100-voltage treatment and a 200-voltage treatment. Our results identified the list of differentially expressed genes with identified roles relating to response to light-induced cell damage, oxidative stress response, transcriptional regulation following pulsed light exposure, and stress resistance.