Specific objectives of the Dr. Hinton’s research include the development of novel physical, chemical, and biological interventions to reduce or eliminate the presence of human enteric and spoilage microorganisms in poultry.

Specific objectives of the Dr. Hinton’s research include the development of novel physical, chemical, and biological interventions to reduce or eliminate the presence of human enteric and spoilage microorganisms in poultry. He serves as a team leader and/or team member to (1) test the efficacy of innovative modifications and standard processing parameters on the reduction of contamination of processed poultry and (2) examine the use of natural microbicidal surfactants as carcass washes to decrease microbial contamination of processed carcasses. As a team leader, Dr. Hinton (3) formulates and guides research on novel approaches that incorporate the expertise of animal physiologists, agricultural engineers, food technologists, and food microbiologists to develop new strategies to decrease the number of human foodborne illnesses associated with poultry products. As a team member, he (4) applies the principles of predictive microbiology to aid in the development of computer modeling strategies for predicting bacterial growth under various poultry processing parameters. He also (5) examines processing equipment surfaces and processing water for the presence of microorganisms related to poultry processing and (6) studies the role of water hardness in the contamination of poultry meat. Of particular significance are his current research studies on (7) the development of novel bacteriological media that can be used to isolate, grow, and store bacteria associated with poultry processing.