Evaluation of Carcass Quality for Coliforms, Salmonella and Psychrophiles on Evisceration and Chiller lines in Yazd Province Industrial Poultry Slaughterhouses

Even if a small number of poultry carcasses contaminate with pathogenic food bacteria, the chance of spreading the infection in the chillers of poultry slaughterhouse, resulting in contamination of other carcasses also have been observed. In this study, Coliform bacteria, Salmonella and the Psychrophiles in the two different poultry slaughterhouse of Yazd province have been investigated. Sampling from each line (slaughter and chiller) in two stages (before and after removal from the line) three times (the beginning, middle and the end of the slaughter ing) was carried out. Five Chicken carcasses were randomly selected, numbered and sampled both before entering the line and after exiting the line while rinsed using peptone Water. A total of 120 samples were sent to the laboratory for culturing and microbial counting. Significant differences were detected between chiller and slaughter line. The population of coliforms in the slaughter line was significantly more than the chillers (p<0.01). In the case of salmonella the only difference was in the amount of bacteria between two slaughterhouse being significantly lower in slaughter house two (P <0.05). The results showed no significant differences among different treatments in respect to psychrophile bacteria.In general, it can be said that secondary contamination in the slaughter line along with gradual increase in temperature of the chiller can increase bacterial load of both coliforms and salmonella but it will not affect the amount of psychrophile bacteria. Due to some differences between the studied slaughterhouses, microbial load of coli form and salmonella can be acheived by improving the management and installation of appropriate aquipments in the evisceration line.