A COMPARISON OF ESCHERICHIA-COLI LEVELS AT 4 SAMPLING SITES ON TURKEYCARCASSES

The objective of this study was to investigate the levels of Escherich ia coli on different sites of turkey carcasses by sponge sampling usin g a 50 cm(2) template. The breast, thigh, back, and cavity sites were sampled to determine which sites would be suitable for quantifying E. coli levels for the purpose of assessing control of the slaughtering a nd chilling processes. Results show that the breast and cavity sites h ave the lowest levels of E. coli (2.6 and 2.7 cfu/cm(2), respectively) , whereas thigh and back sites have the highest (6.7 and 7.6 cfu/cm(2) , respectively). Data analyses indicate that E, coli levels at the bre ast and cavity site are lower (P < 0.05) than the other sites. A compo site sample consisting of thigh and back sites for E, coli testing is recommended for assessing process control in turkey slaughtering facil ities.