Microbiological evaluation of the dry-slaughter process for small scale poultry meat production

The dry-slaughter process for poultry includes mechanical defeathering followed by a waxing phase, without scalding. The aim of the present work was to study the impact of dry-slaughter procedures on the microbiological quality of poultry carcasses. A total of 161 laying hens were examined. Sponge swab samples were collected from different carcass sites at three successive processing stages (i.e. from the neck after stunning and from the breast after defeathering and after waxing). Each carcass sample was analyzed for counts of total aerobic mesophilic bacteria, coliforms, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and the incidence of Salmonella spp. In addition, fecal swab samples collected from each bird were analyzed for the presence of Salmonella spp. The microbiological analysis results showed low levels of carcass contamination for each microorganism, at all stages of the dry-slaughter process. However, an increase in the levels of Staphylococcus aureus was recorded in the post-waxing phase. Salmonella spp. was not found in any of the samples tested.