An evaluation of on-line "reprocessing" on visual contamination and microbiological quality of broilers

Recent advances in equipment design, including more efficient inside/outside bird washers, have been proposed as being more effective in reducing visible contamination during processing. The purpose of this study was to evaluate such a system. Guidelines focused on the occurrence of visible contamination and microbiological quality of broilers identified as being visually contaminated but allowed to proceed on-line ("reprocessing") through evisceration and inside/outside bird washing as opposed to being removed for off-line reprocessing. Results indicated that based on visual scores, the on-line processing reduced the need for off-line reprocessing by 73 to 84%. The incidence for either Salmonella or Campylobacter was not affected by treatment. There were no significant effects of treatment on aerobic plate counts, Campylobacter number, or coliforms. These results indicate that on-line processing of visually contaminated carcasses could greatly reduce the number of carcasses currently being subjected to off-line reprocessing without negative effects on total bacterial counts or presence of pathogenic organisms.