Microbial Growth on Broiler Carcasses Stored at Different Temperatures After Air- or Water-Chilling

Abstract

Poultry meat has a high risk of contamination during its processing. Storage temperature, type of packaging, and types and numbers of psychrotrophic bacteria are the major factors determining the spoilage of poultry meat. Before packaging, poultry carcasses are chilled by air or water currents in commercial slaughterhouses. The packaging material and methods are other factors influencing the spoilage of poultry meat. Although unpackaged carcasses had lower production costs, they were found to contain high numbers of microorganisms. The unpackaged carcasses are often not recommended for food safety and public health risks. The present study examines the growth of some spoilage microorganisms on unpackaged carcasses and on broiler carcasses packaged in polyethylene bags or synthetic plates. The carcasses examined in this study were collected from the slaughterhouses of the Bolu region of Turkey. All carcasses were subjected to an air or water chilling process in the slaughterhouse and then stored at 0, 4, or 7 degrees C for 14 d. Samples were taken on d 0, 4, 8, 10, and 14 of storage and analyzed for total bacterial count, and for Pseudomonas spp., Enterobacteriaceae, yeasts, and molds. The carcasses packaged in synthetic plates or polyethylene bags and kept at 0 degrees C were microbiologically safer and had longer shelf life, so they are found to be the most reliable for consuming. The shelf life of broiler carcasses could be further increased by improving hygiene and sanitation procedures at the slaughterhouse.

Air versus water chilling of chicken: a pilot study of quality, shelf-life, microbial ecology, and economics

“…At this point, there was no difference in psychrotrophic counts between AC and WC, but AC had a lower mesophilic count. These results are similar to those reported by Tuncer and Sireli [25], who concluded that the AC was superior to WC in terms of pathogen growth, though they did not speci cally investigate the spoilage bacteria described in the current study. Additionally, after the 7-day dark storage period the AC microbial community was much more diverse than the WC community, which was dominated by Pseudomonadaceae.…”

Characterization of the Biodiversity of the Spoilage Microbiota in Chicken Meat Using Next Generation Sequencing and Culture Dependent Approach

“…This indicates that the type of chicken meat was a greater influence than the storage temperatures on bacterial communities. It was assumed that whole chicken (with skin) could be contaminated from feathers, feces, and soil, so that it might harbor different microbial populations than chicken breast ( Russell, 2009 ; Tuncer and Sireli, 2008 ).…”

Temperature and Bacterial Profile of Post Chill Poultry Carcasses Stored in Processing Combo Held at Room Temperature

“…Barnes and Thornley (1966) reported that the bacteria on broiler meat immediately after processing consisted of Micrococci (50%), gram‐positive rods (14%), Flavobacteria (14%), Enterobacteriaceae (8%), Pseudomonas (2%), Acinetobacter (7%), and unidentified organisms (5%) (Charles and others 2006). Davies and Board (1998) also found Pseudomonas , Acinetobacter , Achromobacter ,and Brochothrix thermosphacta after processing (Tuncer and Sireli 2008). …”