Washington - A device developed by Agriculture Department researchers clears disease-causing organisms from the air in poultry houses and protects chickens from harmful bacteria, officials said Thursday.
Deputy Agriculture Secretary Richard Rominger said USDA researchers have applied for a patent on their system, which uses a negative electrostatic charge to collect dust particles in hatching cabinets.
“American consumers expect healthful, quality food,” Rominger said at a food safety conference. “Our meat and poultry are fundamentally safer, thanks to cutting-edge research like this that systematically seeks out and destroys sources of contamination.”
Airborne particles often give salmonella bacteria a free ride to chicks' feathers and lungs. One infected chick can quickly spread the bacteria throughout an entire hatching cabinet. That increases the risk of salmonella for consumers as adult birds are grown for food.
The instrument developed by USDA researchers can collect the charged dust from the air and deposit it onto plates that are automatically rinsed several times an hour.
Rominger said the tool reduced salmonella by 95 percent in week-old birds and in egg-laying hens.
Several companies have already expressed interest in licensing the product and developing it for commercial Use.
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