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<p>It is widely understood that hides of beef cattle contaminated with fecal material play a primary
role in carcass contamination during the slaughtering process. If contamination does occur, it
typically happens during the dehiding step. Previous research has shown that hides and errors in
slaughtering and dressing are the primary vehicles of beef carcass contamination.
Contamination of carcasses with Escherichia coli O157:H7 is a major concern to the beef
industry due to the risks of human illness from eating beef products contaminated with E. coli
O157:H7. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS)
has established a zero tolerance policy for the presence of E. coli O157:H7 on beef carcasses. As
a result, the beef industry continues to research a variety of safety intervention methods to ensure
the safest product possible for consumers.</p>
<p>To address these issues, the beef harvesting industry has adopted several carcass antimicrobial
intervention technologies, such as steam pasteurization and acid rinses. However, no validated
processes involving the decontamination of hides prior to dehiding are currently commercially
utilized. A commercial laboratory (Sandia National Laboratories) has developed a product
(Decon Foam-200) that has been shown to be very effective against bacterial vegetative cells,
spores and viruses. The formulation (DF-200) is non-toxic, non-corrosive and forms a highly
stable foam. A significant volume of research has been completed at Kansas State University,
demonstrating a high degree of activity against foodborne spoilage and pathogenic agents,
including E. coli O157:H7, Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes.</p>
<p>Two studies were conducted, in which the objectives of the first were to evaluate DF-200 Foam's
effectiveness at reducing natural microbial flora counts on cattle hides. The second study was
designed to test the most effective treatments on inoculated hide samples. </p>
<p>Findings: Decon DF-200 foam, developed by Sandia National Laboratories, is a non-toxic, non-corrosive sanitizer that has shown to be effective against bacterial vegetative cells and viruses. The DF-200 foam was applied to cattle hide pieces in an effort to reduce microbiological counts during processing. The DF-200 foam lab evaluations consisted of two studies. In the first study, non-inoculated hides were treated with a hot and cold water pressure wash, hot and cold DF-200 liquid wash, a hot and cold water drench, hot and cold DF-200 liquid drench, dry DF-200 foam, and a pre-moistened followed by DF-200 foam. In the first study the lowest recovered aerobic plate and coliform counts came from samples treated with hot and cold water pressure, hot and cold DF 200 liquid drench, and a dry and pre-moist foam application.</p>
<p>The second study consisted of treatments of a water pressure wash, a dry foam application, and a water pressure wash followed by a dry foam application were used. The hide samples were inoculated with a five strain mixture of E. coli (5.3 log cfu/cm2) or Salmonella spp. (4.9 log cfu/cm2). The high pressure water wash was the least effective treatment against E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella, achieving reductions of only 0.36 and 0.34, respectively. The DF-200 foam treatment resulted in reductions in E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella populations of 3.44 and 2.89 log cfu/cm2, respectively. A high pressure water treatment followed by a DF-200 foam treatment resulted in reductions in E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella counts of 3.04 and 3.02 log cfu/cm2, respectively. The application of DF-200 foam on cattle hides was effective at reducing microbiological counts of E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella spp. </p>