Campylobacter and Salmonella levels and chemical composition of commercial whole bird carcass pre-chiller rinses

In order to assess the impact of pre-chiller temperatures on whole bird carcass rinses (WBCR), trials were conducted to analyze the effects of pre-chiller temperatures on the microbial and chemical composition of the pre-chiller water and the incidence of Campylobacter, Salmonella, and total aerobes on WBCR. WBCR and water samples were tested before and after the pre-chiller to assess the microbiological impact of different temperatures on the microbiological quality of the carcasses. Results demonstrated higher pre-chiller temperatures (>70 °F) impacted the microbial load of the WBCR (correlations: P < 0.05). APC populations of WBCR were less at the post pre-chiller sampling location of both systems (2.98 and 2.85 Log₁₀ CFU/mL) than prior (3.34 and 3.24 Log₁₀ CFU/mL) and the load of Salmonella in pre-chiller 1 (65 °F) was higher post pre-chiller (-0.61 to 0.06 Log₁₀ CFU/mL). Campylobacter load of post pre-chiller 2 (>70 °F) was higher than that of both pre-chiller 1 locations. Correlations between time and load of aerobes, Salmonella, and Campylobacter on WBCR taken from post pre-chiller 2 were present (0.04, 0.11, and 0.91 Log₁₀ CFU/mL per 1.5 h; P < 0.05). In addition, there was a correlation between time and load of Campylobacter on WBCR taken from post pre-chiller 1 and pre pre-chiller 2 (0.14 and 0.16 Log₁₀ CFU/mL per 1.5 h; P < 0.05). Salmonella prevalence was higher than the central mean for WBCR collected post pre-chiller 1 and lower in those collected pre pre-chiller 2 (P < 0.05) Campylobacter prevalence was lower in WBCR collected pre-chiller 1 and higher post pre-chiller 2 than the central mean (P < 0.05). These results indicate that there may be a significant microbiological benefit to running the pre-chiller at lower temperatures, specifically for reducing Campylobacter loads. This information should allow processors to reduce the microbiological loads prior to second processing.