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In Vitro Penetration of Egg Yolks by Salmonella Enteritidis and Salmonella Heidelberg Strains During Thirty-Six-Hour Ambient Temperature Storage

Egg Safety and Quality Research Unit, Russell Research Center, Agricultural Research Service, USDA, Athens, Georgia 30605

¹ Corresponding author: Richard.Gast{at}ars.usda.gov

Although Salmonella deposition inside yolks is uncommon in naturally contaminated eggs, migration through the vitelline membrane into the nutrient-rich yolk contents could enable rapid bacterial multiplication. Egg refrigeration restricts both penetration and growth, but a recently proposed national Salmonella Enteritidis control program would allow unrefrigerated ambient temperature storage of eggs on farms for up to 36 h. The present study used an in vitro egg contamination model to assess the ability of small numbers of 4 Salmonella Enteritidis strains and 4 Salmonella Heidelberg strains to penetrate the vitelline membrane and multiply inside yolks during 36 h of storage at either 20 or 30°C. After inoculation onto the exterior surface of the vitelline membrane, all 8 Salmonella strains penetrated to the yolk contents (at a mean frequency of 45.1%), and most strains grew to significantly higher levels (with a mean ^log10 bacterial concentration of 2.2 cfu/mL) during incubation at 30°C. Significant differences in penetration frequency and yolk multiplication were observed between individual strains and between serotypes (Salmonella Enteritidis > Salmonella Heidelberg for both parameters). Penetration and multiplication were significantly less frequent during incubation at 20°C. These results demonstrate that controlling ambient temperatures during prerefrigeration storage may be an important adjunct to prompt refrigeration for limiting Salmonella growth in eggs and thereby for preventing egg-transmitted human illness.

Key Words: Salmonella Enteritidis • Salmonella Heidelberg • yolk • vitelline membrane • penetration