Factors Affecting Survival of Campylobacter jejuni on Experimentally Inoculated Pork Skin Stored under Various Conditions

Abstract

Pork skin inoculated with a nalidixic acid-resistant strain of Campylobacter jejuni was subjected to three treatments to determine the effect of storage temperature, oxygen concentration, and drying on survival of the organism. Survival rate was determined for each treatment by enumeration over a 48-h period on Brucella agar containing nalidixic acid. Of the treatments studied, chilling with forced ventilation and storage at 20°C caused significant reductions in numbers of survivors. The results of this study confirm reports by other investigators that conventional forced ventilation chilling of pork carcasses has the beneficial effect of reducing skin surface Campylobacter contaminants.