Campylobacter colonisation of slaughterhouse surfaces may be affected by ultra-thin silica coating

Campylobacteriosis is the most reported gastrointestinal zoonotic disease worldwide and is caused by the consumption of inadequately heated and contaminated food, especially poultry meat. This may result from cross-contamination events during poultry slaughtering and cutting processes. Carcass contact surfaces in slaughterhouses, such as plucking fingers of rubber or stainless-steel surfaces, are high-risk points for contamination, with intestinal contents likely containing Campylobacter bacteria that may result in the cross-contamination of subsequent carcasses. Modification of these food contact surfaces by coating can be beneficial in combating bacterial contamination, as already applied in the packaging materials of the food industry. The aim of this study was to compare the attachment, growth and detachment of Campylobacter jejuni on uncoated and nanoscale silicon dioxide coated stainless steel and plucking fingers during laboratory experiments. The coating partly resulted in significantly reduced attachment and an improved detachment of the target organism on stainless steel. In contrast, there was no significant decrease in Campylobacter adherence to the coated plucking fingers as compared to the uncoated ones. However, a significantly higher reduction of recultivable bacteria on the coated plucking fingers was observed during a five-hour period. In future studies, specific coating parameters should be investigated to further support development, and thus a better adaptation of the coating to the environmental conditions.