Effect of chemical treatment (surface and oral) using chlorine and TH4 of
life broilers before slaughter and slaughter conditions on bacterial and keeping
quality of broiler meat was investigated. The objectives were to improve both
bacterial and keeping quality of broiler meat and to identify critical control
points in processing of broilers. Nine hundred and sixty mature broilers with
1.5kg average life weight were used. It was found that dipping/spraying and oral
treatments reduced the number of contaminating bacteria on the surface of life
broilers. Oral treatment however, resulted in lower bacterial contamination
after evisceration and washing compared to dipping and spraying. A combination
of dipping/spraying and oral treatments were found to be the best in reducing
bacterial contamination on the surface of dressed broiler carcasses.
The shelf life varied between 24 and 96 hours at 4°C and 6 to 24 hours at 25°
C. Surface chemical treatment resulted in the increase in shelf life with oral
treatment giving the highest increase in shelf life.
Broilers slaughtered at farm level had the highest bacterial contamination
with shortest shelf life. It was concluded that chemical treatment of life
broilers at the farm before slaughter improves both the bacterial quality and
extends shelf life of broiler meat. Slaughtering broilers at farm level using
unskilled labour results in heavy bacterial contamination and lowering of shelf
life of broiler meat.
Key Hazard Analysis and Critical Control points in processing of broilers are
slaughter environment, slaughter technique, method used to control bacterial
contamination on life birds, storage temperature and technical capacities of
workers.