Decontamination of chicken carcasses artificially contaminated with Salmonella.

A study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of three chemical disinfectants and of ionising radiation in reducing the level of contamination in chicken carcasses which had been artificially contaminated with Salmonella Virchow. Chicken carcasses were obtained from a local abattoir. Five carcasses and one control carcass were used to test each concentration of disinfectant and the radiation. The amount of contaminant employed was 0.5 ml of 10(4) colony-forming units per ml of S. Virchow spread over the thigh, breast and wing areas. All treatments were conducted in duplicate. The three disinfectants used were as follows: calcium hypochlorite, at concentrations of 20 ppm, 50 ppm, 100 ppm and 200 ppm of available chlorine. Lactic acid at concentrations of 0.5%, 0.75% and 1%. Hydrogen peroxide compound at concentrations of 1%, 2% and 3%. Five inoculated carcasses were immersed at a time in one disinfectant concentration for 15 min, while the control carcasses were simultaneously immersed in water free from disinfectants. Five carcasses, each in a plastic bag, were subjected to varying ascending doses (from 2 to 7 k gray [kGy]) of ionising radiation from radioactive isotopes of cobalt 60. A bacteriological examination of each carcass was conducted after the treatment to determine the presence or absence of S. Virchow. The number of carcasses which gave positive results showing the presence of Salmonella decreased after chemical treatment, but the organism was not completely eliminated. However, in those carcasses subjected to 7 kGy of radiation, Salmonella was eliminated and no changes in the appearance, colour or smell of the carcasses were observed.

Mineral and vitamin content of goat's milk.

Nine vitamin and mineral elements were determined in goat's milk of two breeds, Aardi and Masri, in Saudi Arabia. The concentrations of various vitamins in the milk of the Aardi and Masri goats, respectively, were: vitamin A, 77 and 203 IU/100 gm; thiamin, 0.047 and 0.030 mg/100 gm; riboflavin, 0.122 and 0.170 mg/100 gm; vitamin B-6, 0.045 and 0.046 mg/100 gm; niacin, 0.280 and 0.248 mg/100 gm; pantothenic acid, 0.247 and 0.191 mg/100 gm; ascorbic acid, 0.890 and 0.898 mg/100 gm; vitamin B-12, 0.07 and 0.06 microgram/100 gm; and folacin, 0.2 and 0.7 microgram/100 gm. Among the minerals, the concentrations (mg/100 gm) in the milk of Aardi and Masri goats, respectively, were: sodium, 58 and 53; potassium, 158 and 155; calcium, 88 and 116; magnesium, 13 and 13; phosphorus, 65 and 88; iron, 0.14 and 0.14; copper, 0.07 and 0.07; zinc, 0.15 and 0.15; and manganese, 0.02 and 0.02. The concentrations of vitamin B-12 and folacin in goat's milk were lower than those in cow's milk. The mineral profile of goat's milk compared better with that of cow's milk than with that of human milk.