Simulation of the conditions of use of quaternary ammonium in samples of “Salmonella” Hadar isolated from poultry carcasses

Abstract

Biosafety measures are adopted in order to avoid the spreading of pathogenic microorganisms along the poultry chain, with disinfection being a mandatory procedure and the chemical compound benzalkonium chloride (quaternary ammonium) widely used for this purpose. Due to the fact that part of the farming in Brazil is located in areas with a great thermal amplitude, which is also the case among the different areas and sections of slaughterhouses, we performed an experiment to verify the activity of this disinfectant, simulating conditions of use with 33 Salmonella Hadar isolates. Using the test suspension, the inactivation of the bacteria was monitored under different concentrations (100 and 200 ppm), temperatures (20 ± 2 ºC and 8 ± 2 ºC), organic matter loading (1 and 3 %) and contact times (5, 10 and 20 minutes). As a result, all isolates in the two concentrations and organic loading were inactivated at 20 ± 2 ºC after a contact time of 5 minutes. At a temperature of 8 ± 2 ºC, the disinfectant’s activity was affected, with bacterial isolates surviving under all adverse variables (33,3% in front of 100 ppm and 6,1% in front of 200 ppm). Under the conditions of the experiment, our conclusion is that benzalkonium chloride was able to inactivate all isolates of the Salmonella serovars found and, therefore, it can be used in disinfection procedures. However, a low room temperature is a factor that limits indicating its use.