THE EFFECT OF EVISCERATION ON VISIBLE CONTAMINATION AND THE MICROBIOLOGICAL PROFILE OF FRESH BROILER CHICKEN CARCASSES USING THE NU-TECH EVISCERATION SYSTEM OR THE CONVENTIONAL STREAMLINED INSPECTION SYSTEM

Experiments were conducted to determine the effect of evisceration on visible contamination and the microbiological profile of fresh broiler chicken carcasses using the Nu-Tech System or the Streamlined Inspect ion System (SIS). Visible contamination was evaluated on the inside ca vity and outside surface of 1,000 and 7,825 carcasses from Plants A an d B, respectively, during 5 d of processing. For the microbiological s tudy, in five separate trials, 80 broiler carcasses were collected eac h day from two processing plants (A and B). Two groups of 20 carcasses each were collected immediately prior to entering the Nu-Tech eviscer ator, bagged separately, and 20 were labeled as NT1 and 20 as SIS1. Th e third group of 20 carcasses was collected immediately after the crop per on the Nu-Tech line and labeled NT2. For the fourth group, 20 carc asses were aseptically transferred from the Nu-Tech line just prior to evisceration, placed on the SIS Line prior to evisceration, allowed t o be eviscerated by the SIS eviscerator, collected immediately after t he cropper, and labeled SIS2. Whole carcass rinses were conducted and aerobic plate counts (APC), total coliform counts (TC), total Escheric hia coil counts (TEC), aerobic mesophilic impedance detection times (D T), and coliform impedance detection times (CDT) were determined withi n 30 h of collection. The Nu-Tech System was superior to SIS with rega rd to visible carcass contamination. For Plant A, evisceration using t he Nu-Tech System or SIS did not significantly affect APC, TC, or TEC; however, evisceration using the Nu-Tech System resulted in an increas e in DT and CDT (indicating a reduction in bacteria); whereas eviscera tion using SIS resulted in no significant decrease in bacterial levels . For Plant B, evisceration using the Nu-Tech resulted in lower APC, T C, TEC, and higher DT and CDT (indicating a reduction in bacteria); wh ereas evisceration using SIS resulted in no significant decrease in ba cterial levels. Evisceration using the NuTech System was at least equa l to or in some cases better than SIS with regard to APC, TC, TEC, DT, and CDT.