a survey on microbial contamination of broiler carcass during processing in hamedan industrial abattoir

the poultry slaughter processing in abattoirs may result in carcass contamination with different pathogens. this survey was carried out to evaluate the slaughtering process effects on hygienic status of poultry carcass slaughtered in hamedan industrial abattoir. for this purpose, samples were taken from breast skin surface with swab and template randomly. therefore, counting of total aerobic plate count, coliforms, e.coli and staphylococcus aureus and detecting of salmonella spp. were done in different slaughtering processes. the results showed that the cooling in chillers significantly (p < 0.05) decreased the total aerobic plate count (1 log10 cfu/cm2), coliforms (0.27 log10cfu/cm2), e.coli (0.47 log10cfu/cm2) and staphylococcus aureus (1.46 log10cfu/cm2) in poultry carcass. in the evisceration stage the highest contamination was observed in comparison with other stages. salmonella spp. was detectable in all stages of processing. although the carcass bacterial load was decreased after cooling in chillers, cross contamination with some bacteria such as salmonella and staphylococcus aureus necessitates the need for modifying slaughter line and effective staff training regarding hygiene. furthermore, special attention should be paid to salmonella spp. infection control in poultry farms during rearing period.