Effective pathogen control takes just five minutes.
Five minutes may seem like an insignificant amount of time. But what if you could significantly reduce pathogen load in your plant in that amount of time? When that’s the case, those five minutes could be extremely valuable.
Every live animal that comes into your facility brings pathogens. In a study of multiple meat processing plants, the presence of E. coli O157 on live animals was significantly correlated with carcass contamination. Of the samples tested, 90% of the fecal samples and 100% of the hide samples had positive tests for E. coli prior to evisceration of the carcass.1 That’s a clear indication that pathogen control by reducing hide contamination should be a priority in any pre-harvest food safety program.
Proven control.
One solution to quick and effective pathogen control lies in the use of a pre-harvest hide wash. Pathogen control products can be applied through overhead spray systems. These systems can be installed in holding pens or resting areas and can be configured to fit most any animal handling system.
It’s important that products with proven efficacy against significant pathogens are used to reduce pathogen load. In a recent study, Finalyse™, a pre-harvest hide wash from Arm & Hammer Animal and Food Production, reduced E. coli prevalence by 44% compared to the previous year and 37.4% compared to the 3-year average.2 Finalyse destroys bacteria on cattle hides by using naturally occurring phages to weaken the E. coli cell wall. In just five minutes, Finalyse can adequately incubate for a >1.8Log log reduction.3
Employee safety is critically important as well. Some hide wash products can be highly toxic, creating an unsafe working environment for workers. On the other hand, Finalyse is a natural product that harnesses naturally occurring phages developed specifically to impact E. coli. Most other hide wash products use harmful chemicals that put workers at risk. This natural mode of action also makes Finalyse easier on equipment, extending useful life and reducing the need for costly repairs.
You can’t risk a pathogen outbreak in your plant that could impact the health of your customers and put your workers at risk. It’s possible to reduce pathogen loads on live cattle before they even enter your facility with a safe, effective hide wash. Finalyse is proven to significantly reduce E. coli levels in just five minutes, and it’s safer for workers and easier on equipment. Find more research trials using Finalyse here.
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1 Elder RO, Keen JE, Siragusa GR, Barkocy-Gallagher GA, Koohmaraie M, Laegreid WW. Correlation of enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157 prevalence in feces, hides, and carcasses of beef cattle during processing.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2000;97(7):2999–3003. Published online 3/21/2000. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC16181/
pmc/articles/PMC16181/
2 Weekly VM-EC 7% Update 2007-2010 ytd. 2012. Data on file.
3 Pillai S, Rambo C, McReynolds J. “Finalyse Surrogate Research Model.” 2013. Data on file.
