Microbiological Sampling of Poultry Carcasses

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Abstract
Summary: The skin contamination of poultry carcasses from 3 different processing plants was found to vary considerably on the 6 different sites sampled. The neck skin and to a less extent the back and near‐vent sites were more heavily contaminated than 2 sites on the leg and 1 under the wing. Significantly (P < 0·001) lower counts were obtained when the organisms present were recovered at 4° than at 15 or 22°. Swabbing of the skin did not give as good recovery as when the skin sample was removed and shaken in a diluent with an abrasive material, but is adequate to indicate contamination where a nondestructive method is essential. When defrosting frozen carcasses, 2 h on the bench gave as good recovery as carcasses defrosted for 4 h.