J. Appl. Poult. Res.
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J APPL POULT RES 2009. 18:501-507. doi:10.3382/japr.2008-00131
© 2009 Poultry Science Association
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Research Reports

The microbiological conditions of air- or water-chilled carcasses produced at the same poultry packing plant

S. Barbut*,1, L F. Moza*, F. Nattress{dagger}, B. Dilts{dagger} and C. O. Gill{dagger}

* Department of Food Science and Canadian Research Institute for Food Safety, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada N1G 2W1; and {dagger} Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Lacombe Research Centre, 6000 C & E Trail, Lacombe, Alberta, Canada T4L 1W1

1 Corresponding author: sbarbut{at}uoguelph.ca.

Samples of skin were collected from randomly selected sites on broiler chicken carcasses during an occasional commercial process for production of air-chilled carcasses at a plant that produces mainly water-chilled carcasses. The numbers of aerobes, coliforms, Escherichia coli, and presumptive staphylococci were reduced by >0.5 log unit during dressing operations after evisceration, but were not affected by air chilling. When the microbiological conditions of air- or water-chilled carcasses processed on the same days were compared, the numbers of aerobes on both types of carcasses were found to be similar, but the numbers of psychrotrophs, Enterobacteriaceae, pseudomonads, lactic acid bacteria, and Brochothrix thermosphacta recovered from water-chilled carcasses were all ≥0.4 log unit less than the numbers recovered from air-chilled carcasses. Although the total aerobic count data alone would suggest that the microbiological effects of air and water chilling were similar, the findings for other groups of bacteria indicate that substantial fractions of the bacteria on the warm carcasses were injured or inactivated by chilling in water, but not by chilling in air.

Key Words: broiler carcass • air chilling • water chilling • bacterial count






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