| Faculty Member ProfileDr. Daniel L. FletcherDepartment Head |
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| Faculty Member ProfileDr. Daniel L. FletcherDepartment Head |
| Background | ~ | Awards Received | ~ | Courses Taught | ~ | Research Interests | ~ | Recent Publications | ~ | Hobbies or Non-Academic Interests | ~ | Favorite Links |
Phone number 860-486-2413
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Major research emphasis has been in the general area of poultry meat and egg quality with emphasis on appearance, color, texture, and shelf life. Additional research has also been conducted in areas relative to current industry problems, such as oily bird syndrome, egg component yields, hard-cooking eggs, and the microbiological quality of poulty meat and egg products. Major research accomplishments include better defining egg yolk and broiler skin pigment analyses, evaluation of feed pigment sources, and identification of management factors which affect product color. Research in the area of hot-boning and the physiology of early rigor development have contributed to the basic knowledge of the events which occur during the conversion of poultry muscle to meat. This research area has made considerable contribution to the basic understanding of the production and processing factors influencing early rigor development and its impact on poultry meat color, texture, shelf life, and overall quality. Research results have been directly applied to industry practices relative to pigment feeding practices, product color analyses, scalding of product destined for further processing, the need to age carcasses prior to cutting and deboning, and methods to assess poultry meat quality. Grants and extramural research support for these areas of research have totaled more than one million dollars.
Current research is focused on the influence of ante-mortem stress and early processing effects (live bird handling, stunning, gas killing, and electrical stimulation) on meat quality, breast meat color, and shelf life of fresh poultry. This work has been of fundamental importance in responding to changing standards for animal welfare and its application to commercial slaughter practices and product quality. This area of research has affected both National (USA) and European (EU) slaughter practices and regulatory policies. Recent projects on the occurence of Salmonella in retail poultry resulted in an invitation to participate in a special issue of the Journal of the AOAC devoted to food safety.
Research results have been published with over 300 citations including numerous invited presentations in more than 27 states in the USA and 19 foreign countries. These invitations are balanced between scientific meetings and industry presentations, recognizing both the basic and applied nature of poultry research.
The quality and impact of Dr. Fletcher's research is most apparent by his receiving 5 national research awards, college recognition, an international medal from the Iniversity of Helsinki, and his numerous invitations to participate in both national and international major scientific meetings and research symposia. Recent research in the conversion of broiler dark meat to light meat has received tremendous national and international attention as evidenced by an Associated Press feature article appearing in hundreds on international newspapers, media outlets, and internet sites. This work was also featured during live interviews by the BBC (UK), National Public Radio (NPR), as well as regional coverage in Georgia and farm radio networks.
Northcutt, J. K., J. A. Cason, D. P. Smith, R. J. Buhr, and D. L. Fletcher, 2006. Broiler carcass bacterial counts after immersion chilling using either a low or high volume of water. Poultry Sci. 85:(10)1802-1806.
Berrang, M. E., S.R. Ladely , M. Simmons , D.L. Fletcher and P.J. Fedorka-Cray, 2006. Antimicrobial resistance patterns of Salmonella from retail chicken. International Journal of Poultry Science 5 (4): 351-354, 2006
Lyon, S. A., D. L. Fletcher, and M. E. Berrang, 2007. Germicidal Ultraviolet Light to Lower Numbers of Listeria monocytogenes on Broiler Breast Fillets. Poultry Sci. 86: 964-967.
Northcutt, J.K., J.A. Cason, D.P. Smith, R.J. Buhr, and D.L. Fletcher, 2006, Broiler carcass bacterial counts after immersion chilling using either a low or high volume of water. Poultry Sci. (Submitted 12/05)
D.L. Fletcher, 2005. A method for Estimating the Relative Degree of Saponification of Xanthophyll Sources and Feedstuffs. Poultry Sci. (In press)
Betti, M. and D.L. Fletcher, 2005. The influence of extraction and precipitation ph on the dry matter yield of broiler dark meat. Poultry Sci. 84:1303-1307.
Bourassa, D.V., and D.L. Fletcher, 2005. R.J. Buhr, J.A. Cason, and M.E. Berrang, 2004. Recovery of Salmonellae Following pH Adjusted Pre-Enrichment of TSP-Treated Broiler Carcasses. Poultry Sci. 84:475-478.
Buhr, R.J., D.V. Bourassa, J.L. Wilson, and D.L. Fletcher, 2005. Improved efficiency of intact crop removal for broiler breeder rooster and hen carcasses during manual evisceration. J. Appl. Poultry Res. 14:20-24.
Bianchi, M., D.L. Fletcher, and D.P. Smith, 2004. Physical and functional properties of intact and ground pale broiler breast meat. Poultry Sci. 84:803-808.
Musgrove, M.T., D.R. Jones, J.K. Northcutt, P.A. Curtis, K.E. Anderson, D.L. Fletcher, and N.A. Cox, 2004. Survey of shell egg processing plant sanitation programs: effects of non-egg contact surfaces. J. Food Prot. 67(12):2801-2804.
Webster, A.B. and D.L. Fletcher, 2004. Assessment of the aversion of hens to different gas atmospheres using an approach-avoidence test. App. Animal Behaviour Sci. 88:275-287.
Bourassa, D.V., D.L. Fletcher, R.J. Buhr, J.A. Cason, and M.E. Berrang, 2004. Recovery of Salmonellae after chilling and after seven day storage from TSP-Treated commercially processed broiler carcasses. Poultry Sci. 83:2079-2082.
Northcutt, J.K., R.J. Buhr, M.E. Berrang, and D.L. Fletcher. 2003. Effects of replacement finisher feed and length of feed withdrawl on broiler carcass yield and bacteria recovery. Poultry Sci. 82:1820-1824.
Jones, D.R., J.K. Northcutt, M.T. Musgrove, P.A. Curtis, K.E. Anderson, D.L. Fletcher and N.A. Cox, 2003. Survey of egg shell processing plant sanitation programs effects on egg contact surfaces. J. Food Protection 66(8):1486-1489.
Simmons, M., D.L. Fletcher, M.E. Berrang, and J.A. Cason, 2003. Comparison of sampling methodology for the detection of salmonella on whole broiler carcasses purchased from retail outlets. J. Food Protection Vol 66, No. 10, pp.1768-1770.
McNeal, W.D., and D.L. Fletcher, 2003. The effects of high frequency electrical stunning and decapitation on early rigor development and meat quality of broiler breast meat. Poultry Sci. 82:1352-1355.
Simmons, M., D.L. Fletcher, J.A. Cason, and M.E. Berrang, 2003. Recovery of salmonellae from retail broilers using a whole carcass enrichment procedure. J. Food Protection: Vol 66, No. 3, pp.446-450.
Northcutt, J.K., M.E. Berrang, J.A. Dickens, D.L. Fletcher, and N.A. Cox, 2003. Effect of broiler age, feed withdrawl and transportation on levels of Coliforms, Campylobacter, E.Coli, and Salmonella on carcasses before and after immersion chilling. Poultry Sci. 82:169-173.
McNeal, W.D., D.L. Fletcher, and R.J. Buhr, 2003. Effects of stunning and decapitation of broiler activity during bleeding, blood loss, carcass and breast meat quality. Poultry Sci. 82:163-168.
Berrang, M.E., J.K. Northcutt, D.L. Fletcher, and N.A. Cox, 2003. Role of dump cage fecal contamination in the transfer of Campylobacter to carcasses of previously negative broilers. J. Appl. Poultry Res. 12(2):190
Bianchi, M. and D.L. Fletcher, 2002. Effects of broiler breast meat thickness and background on color measurements. Poultry Sci. 81:1766-1769.
Jones, D.R., D.L. Fletcher, and C.E. Lyon, 2002. Variations in levels of acid phosphatase present in chicken whole leg meat. Poultry Science 81:1567-1570.
Petracci, M. and D.L. Fletcher, 2002. Broiler skin and meat color changes during storage. Poultry Science 81:1589-1597.
Taylor, N.L., J.K. Northcutt and D.L. Fletcher, 2002. Effect of a short term feed outage on broiler performance, live shrink, and processing yields. Poultry Sci. 81:1236-1242.
Qiao, M., and D.L. Fletcher, D.P. Smith, and J.K. Northcutt, 2002. The effects of raw broiler breast meat color and composition. Poultry Sci. 81:422-427.
Qiao, M., D. L. Fletcher, J.K. Northcutt and D.P. Smith, 2002. The relationship between raw broiler breast meat color and composition. Poultry Sci. 81:422-427.