The Effect of Temperature Mishandling at Various Times During Storage on Detection of Temperature Abuse of Fresh Broiler Chicken Carcasses

Abstract

Experiments were conducted to determine the effect that temperature mishandling at various times during storage has on detection of temperature abuse of fresh broiler chicken carcasses using populations of mesophilic and coliform bacteria as indicators of abuse. Forty-five broiler carcasses were used in each of three independent trials. Five carcasses were analyzed at day of collection (Treatment 0 control). Five carcasses, on each day of the next 7 d (Treatments 1 to 7) were temperature-abused for 12 h at 25 C, stored at 3 C until Day 9, and then sampled. The five remaining carcasses were stored at 3 C and sampled on Day 9 (Treatment 8 control). Carcasses were sampled using a whole carcass rinse procedure and assayed for aerobic plate counts (APC), total coliform counts (TCC), impedance detection times (DT), and impedance coliform detection times (DTCM). Although significant differences were noted using all four microbiological methods, temperature abuse at different times during storage had no consistent effect on populations of mesophilic or coliform bacteria; therefore, temperature abuse determinations may be conducted without regard to the day on which the carcasses were subjected to elevated temperatures.