Salmonella enteritidis (SE) accounts for more than 70% of Salmonella spp. infections in humans with a primary
source being chicken eggs, that can result from post-lay SE cross-contamination of the shell from contaminated
equipment or the environment. The objective of this study was to apply a HVACP treatment that can achieve a
minimum 5-log reduction in SE on the surface of artificially inoculated shell eggs with an initial bacterial load of
108 CFU/egg, after a previous disinfection. Optimized HVACP treatment conditions were an indirect treatment
with air at 60% humidity at 100 kV for one minute treatment and six hours post-treatment or alternatively, five
minutes of treatment and four hours post-treatment. Egg quality parameters of Haugh unit (HU), pH, color, and
vitelline membrane and shell strength were tested under the optimized conditions and showed no significant
difference (p > 0.05) between treated and untreated eggs.
Industrial relevance: Missing information for a possible scale up of a cold plasma system for egg surface
decontamination has been addressed by an optimization of HVACP treatment focused on treatment and posttreatment time, essential parameters to have into account in the food industry. These results demonstrate that
HVACP is an effective decontamination method for SE on chicken shell eggs and provides a baseline for a future
scale up of the process, showing that different combinations of treatment variables can achieve the desired
decontamination without affecting to key quality parameters of the egg such as Haugh Unit or vitelline membrane strength.
