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Bacterial Quality of Broilers and Alternative Processing Procedures

Poultry Microbiological Safety Research Unit and Poultry Processing and Meat Quality Research Unit, Richard Russell Agricultural Research Center, USDA-Agricultural Research Service, P. O. Box 5677, Athens, GA 30604-5677; Phone: (706) 546-3516; FAX: (706) 546-3771

Correspondence: N. J. Stern

Pathogenic bacteria such as Salmonella and Campylobacter on poultry products have been linked with cases of human intestinal disease. Inadequate poultry processing procedures may play a role in producing products that contain high concentrations of Salmonella and Campylobacter. The purpose of this paper was to determine whether different processing procedures provided significant variation in the bacterial contamination of raw, ready-to-cook carcasses. In this experiment, broiler chickens were processed with and without skin as well as with and without evisceration procedures. Standard processed chicken carcasses, with intact skin and viscera removed, had lower bacterial counts than did carcasses without skin or carcasses containing intact viscera ("New York dressed"). Current processing procedures widely used within the poultry industry yield superior product with regard to microbiological quality when compared to the alternative procedures described in this paper.

Key Words: Bacterial quality • broilers • carcasses • processing • skin