Public Health and Food Safety of Poultry Meat

A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Security and Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (23 November 2023) | Viewed by 11536

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Natural Resources Institute, University of Greenwich, Kent ME4 4TB, UK
Interests: poultry meat; foodborne disease; foodborne hazard; antimicrobial resistance; emerging infectious disease; pandemic

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Poultry meat consumption is growing rapidly, especially in low- and middle- income countries, driven by increasing population, urbanisation, incomes, as well as changes in diets. While this has led to the expansion of intensive production, a range of systems meet this growing demand, including backyard, improved backyard, and small-to-medium-scale production. While poultry meat is often preferred by health-conscious consumers, its consumption and production are not without risk to human health. Poultry meat is associated with important foodborne diseases such as campylobacteriosis and salmonellosis, and can contain hazards such as dioxins and pesticide residues. Poultry meat production often involves the use of antimicrobials which has implications for the development of antimicrobial resistant infections in people. Last but not least, poultry production is associated with the emergence of new diseases, such as influenzas, and with the potential for acquiring human-to-human spread and causing pandemics. This Special Issue addresses the assessment and management of all public health and food safety issues associated with poultry meat, as well as consumption and production.

Prof. Dr. Delia R. Grace
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • poultry meat 
  • foodborne disease 
  • foodborne hazard 
  • antimicrobial resistance 
  • emerging infectious disease 
  • pandemic

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 2200 KiB  
Article
Process Hygiene Criterion for Campylobacter and Number of Campylobacter Enteritis Cases in Northwest Germany
by Tobias Nolte, Fabian Spieß, Anne-Katrin Jacobs, Nicole Kemper and Christian Visscher
Foods 2024, 13(2), 281; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13020281 - 16 Jan 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1258
Abstract
Campylobacteriosis is the most commonly reported bacterial foodborne disease in the European Union. Its transmission is often associated with the consumption of poultry meat. In 2018, Regulation (EC) No. 2017/1495 introduced a process hygiene criterion and with this, the testing requirements for Campylobacter [...] Read more.
Campylobacteriosis is the most commonly reported bacterial foodborne disease in the European Union. Its transmission is often associated with the consumption of poultry meat. In 2018, Regulation (EC) No. 2017/1495 introduced a process hygiene criterion and with this, the testing requirements for Campylobacter. The results of microbiological testing for Campylobacter of chicken carcass neck skin samples from several slaughter lines in Northwest Germany collected by the food business operators and contamination levels (cfu/g Campylobacter) of these samples were analysed from 2018 to 2021. Classification into three different categories was made based on contamination levels. The proportion of highly contaminated (category three) neck samples (>1000 cfu/g) decreased from 2018 to 2021. Our analysis showed a relationship between the number of neck samples with high Campylobacter contamination levels (>1000 cfu/g) and human cases in Northwest Germany. Spearman’s rank test (p < 0.01) showed a higher correlation in 2018 (0.66) and 2019 (0.58) compared to 2020 and 2021. Campylobacter enteritis cases in Northwest Germany stayed at a low level in 2020 and 2021. It remains unclear whether the decrease in reported Campylobacter enteritis cases is related to a decrease in Campylobacter levels on chicken carcasses or due to other reasons like underreporting during the COVID-19 pandemic, and therefore must be investigated in further analyses. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Public Health and Food Safety of Poultry Meat)
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16 pages, 576 KiB  
Article
The Effect of the Supplementation of Humic Substances and Fermented Products in the Feed on the Content of Salinomycin Residues in Poultry Tissues
by Simona Hriciková, Ivona Kožárová, Beáta Koréneková and Slavomír Marcinčák
Foods 2024, 13(1), 68; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13010068 - 24 Dec 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1179
Abstract
The presence of antimicrobial residues in products of animal origin is a constant problem for consumer health. The aim of this study was to observe the effect of the addition of humic substances (H), fermented products (F) and a mixture of both (FH) [...] Read more.
The presence of antimicrobial residues in products of animal origin is a constant problem for consumer health. The aim of this study was to observe the effect of the addition of humic substances (H), fermented products (F) and a mixture of both (FH) to feed supplemented with the coccidiostat salinomycin, compared with a control group (C), on the content of salinomycin residues in the edible tissues of broiler chickens using two microbial inhibition screening methods, Explorer 2.0 test and the Screening Test for Antibiotic Residues (STAR), and a confirmatory competitive enzyme immunoassay analysis (Salinomycin ELISA Kit). The results of the microbial inhibition tests showed a gradual decline in the positive results in the tissue samples from the last day of salinomycin administration (30th day) tothe last day of fattening (37th day, day of slaughter) in group C and no positive results in the tissue samples from experimental groups H, F and FH slaughtered on the last day of fattening. Using the Salinomycin ELISA Kit, salinomycin was detected in the chicken muscle tissues of all the control and experimental groups. However, no sample from any group contained salinomycin at a concentration exceeding the maximum residue limits set by European law. The high level of significance (p < 0.001) confirmed the positive influence of the administration of humic substances and fermented products on the content of salinomycin residues in chicken tissues. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Public Health and Food Safety of Poultry Meat)
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17 pages, 358 KiB  
Article
Yolk Fatty Acid Content, Lipid Health Indices, and Oxidative Stability in Eggs of Slow-Growing Sasso Chickens Fed on Flaxseed Supplemented with Plant Polyphenol Extracts
by Desalew Tadesse, Negussie Retta, Mekonnen Girma, Nicholas Ndiwa, Tadelle Dessie, Olivier Hanotte, Paulos Getachew, Dirk Dannenberger and Steffen Maak
Foods 2023, 12(9), 1819; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12091819 - 27 Apr 2023
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2124
Abstract
Previous attempts to increase the level of flaxseed in hens’ diet for the production of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs)-enriched eggs have been commonly associated with undesirable effects on production efficiency, lipid health indices, and oxidative stability of eggs, requiring adequate research [...] Read more.
Previous attempts to increase the level of flaxseed in hens’ diet for the production of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs)-enriched eggs have been commonly associated with undesirable effects on production efficiency, lipid health indices, and oxidative stability of eggs, requiring adequate research attention. This study investigated the effects of feeding a moderate level of flaxseed (FS) and plant polyphenol extracts (PPEs) on fatty acid content, oxidative stability, and lipid health indices in eggs of slow-growing Sasso T451A laying hens. One hundred and five hens were assigned to five groups (seven replicates of three) and fed on FS (75 g flaxseed and no antioxidants), VE8 (75 g flaxseed and 800 mg vitamin E), TS8 (75 g flaxseed and 800 mg Thymus schimperi), DA8 (75 g flaxseed and 800 mg Dodonaea angustifolia), and CD8 (75 g flaxseed and 800 mg Curcuma domestica) extract per kg diets. The egg yolk content of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, C20:5 n-3) in the DA8, TS8, and CD8 diets and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, C22:6 n-3) in TS8 and CD8 diets significantly (p < 0.05) increased compared with the FS diet. The FS diet significantly increased the malondialdehyde (MDA) content in egg yolks, whereas the TS8 diet decreased it by 67% (p < 0.05). Little difference was observed in yolk fatty acid content between cooked and raw eggs. Production of n-3 PUFA-enriched eggs with favorable lipid health indices was possible through inclusion of PPEs extracted from local plant species grown in Ethiopia and a moderate dose of flaxseed in the diet of laying hens. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Public Health and Food Safety of Poultry Meat)
12 pages, 756 KiB  
Article
Emergence and Genomic Characterization of the First Reported optrA-Carrying Linezolid-Resistant Enterococci Isolated from Retail Broiler Meat in the United Arab Emirates
by Ihab Habib, Akela Ghazawi, Glindya Bhagya Lakshmi, Mohamed-Yousif Ibrahim Mohamed, Dan Li, Mushtaq Khan and Shafi Sahibzada
Foods 2022, 11(20), 3190; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods11203190 - 13 Oct 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2166
Abstract
The foodborne transfer of resistant genes from enterococci to humans and their tolerance to several commonly used antimicrobials are of growing concern worldwide. Linezolid is a last-line drug for managing complicated illnesses resulting from multidrug-resistant Gram-positive bacteria. The optrA gene has been reported [...] Read more.
The foodborne transfer of resistant genes from enterococci to humans and their tolerance to several commonly used antimicrobials are of growing concern worldwide. Linezolid is a last-line drug for managing complicated illnesses resulting from multidrug-resistant Gram-positive bacteria. The optrA gene has been reported in enterococci as one of the acquired linezolid resistance mechanisms. The present study uses whole-genome sequencing analysis to characterize the first reported isolates of linezolid-resistant E. faecium (n = 6) and E. faecalis (n = 10) harboring the optrA gene isolated from samples of supermarket broiler meat (n = 165) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The sequenced genomes were used to appraise the study isolates’ genetic relatedness, antimicrobial resistance determinants, and virulence traits. All 16 isolates carrying the optrA gene demonstrated multidrug-resistance profiles. Genome-based relatedness classified the isolates into five clusters that were independent of the isolate sources. The most frequently known genotype among the isolates was the sequence type ST476 among E. faecalis (50% (5/10)). The study isolates revealed five novel sequence types. Antimicrobial resistance genes (ranging from 5 to 13) were found among all isolates that conferred resistance against 6 to 11 different classes of antimicrobials. Sixteen different virulence genes were found distributed across the optrA-carrying E. faecalis isolates. The virulence genes in E. faecalis included genes encoding invasion, cell adhesion, sex pheromones, aggregation, toxins production, the formation of biofilms, immunity, antiphagocytic activity, proteases, and the production of cytolysin. This study presented the first description and in-depth genomic characterization of the optrA-gene-carrying linezolid-resistant enterococci from retail broiler meat in the UAE and the Middle East. Our results call for further monitoring of the emergence of linezolid resistance at the retail and farm levels. These findings elaborate on the importance of adopting a One Health surveillance approach involving enterococci as a prospective bacterial indicator for antimicrobial resistance spread at the human–food interface. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Public Health and Food Safety of Poultry Meat)
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Review

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19 pages, 549 KiB  
Review
The Public Health Importance and Management of Infectious Poultry Diseases in Smallholder Systems in Africa
by Delia Grace, Theodore J. D. Knight-Jones, Achenef Melaku, Robyn Alders and Wudu T. Jemberu
Foods 2024, 13(3), 411; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13030411 - 26 Jan 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 4246
Abstract
Poultry diseases pose major constraints on smallholder production in Africa, causing high flock mortality and economic hardship. Infectious diseases, especially viral diseases like Newcastle disease and highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) and bacterial diseases, especially colibacillosis and salmonellosis, are responsible for most chicken [...] Read more.
Poultry diseases pose major constraints on smallholder production in Africa, causing high flock mortality and economic hardship. Infectious diseases, especially viral diseases like Newcastle disease and highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) and bacterial diseases, especially colibacillosis and salmonellosis, are responsible for most chicken losses, with downstream effects on human nutrition and health. Beyond production impacts, poultry diseases directly harm public health if zoonotic, can give rise to epidemics and pandemics, and facilitate antimicrobial resistance through treatment attempts. HPAI, campylobacteriosis, and salmonellosis are the priority zoonoses. Sustainable solutions for poultry health remain elusive despite recognition of the problem. This review summarises current knowledge on major poultry diseases in smallholder systems, their impacts, and options for prevention and control. We find biosecurity, vaccination, good husbandry, and disease-resistant breeds can reduce disease burden, but practical limitations exist in implementing these measures across smallholder systems. Treatment is often inefficient for viral diseases, and treatment for bacterial diseases risks antimicrobial resistance. Ethnoveterinary practices offer accessible alternatives but require more rigorous evaluation. Multisectoral collaboration and policies that reach smallholder poultry keepers are essential to alleviate disease constraints. Successful control will improve livelihoods, nutrition, and gender equity for millions of rural families. This review concludes that sustainable, scalable solutions for smallholder poultry disease control remain a critical unmet need in Africa. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Public Health and Food Safety of Poultry Meat)
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