Opinion of the Scientific Panel on biological hazards (BIOHAZ) on the evaluation of the efficacy of L (+) Lactic acid for carcass decontamination
Herbert Budka, Sava Buncic, Pierre Colin, John D Collins, Christian Ducrot,
James Hope, Mac Johnston, Günter Klein, Hilde Kruse, Ernst Lücker,
Simone Magnino, Riitta Liisa Maijala, Antonio Martínez López, Christophe Nguyen-
The, Birgit Noerrung, Servé Notermans, George-John E Nychas, Maurice Pensaert,
Terence Roberts, Ivar Vågsholm, Emmanuel Vanopdenbosch.
Acknowledgment
The Scientific Panel on Biological Hazards wishes to acknowledge the contribution of
the working group that prepared the opinion: Pierre Colin, Christophe Nguyen-The,
Birgit Noerrung (rapporteur) and Terence Roberts (chair).
No abstract available
The European Commission requested EFSA to evaluate the efficacy of L (+) Lactic Acid and Buffered Lactic acid as antimicrobial substances applied to poultry carcasses. The evaluation was based on the documentation submitted from the applicant to European Commission and further provided to EFSA.
The BIOHAZ panel concludes that it was not possible to evaluate the efficacy of the treatment with lactic acid on pathogenic microorganisms on poultry carcasses because i)the purpose of the treatment was not clearly specified in the documentation provided, ii) the method(s) of application, the point(s) in the processing chain where applied, the concentration(s) of lactic acid, and the temperature(s) of application were not clearly indicated, iii) the documentation provided did not represent a coherent body of arguments and experimental results supporting the efficacy of the substance and iv) it was recommended not to rinse after the decontaminating treatment, which is not in accordance with the EC requirements where decontaminating agents are to be regarded as processing aids used in slaughterhouses to reduce numbers of pathogenic microorganisms on surfaces of raw foods of animal origin and should then be rinsed off.
Decontamination, poultry carcasses, lactic acid
