Carcass microbiological quality following intermittent scalding and defeathering

Several non-conventional method of removing feathers from poultry carcasses , such as simultaneous scalding and picking or steam scalding, reportedly y ield better carcass microbiological quality that traditional immersion scal ding and in-line picking. Many plants have installed multiple-tank counterf low scalders to reduce the number of bacteria in scald water at the point w here carcasses leave the tank. The purpose of this work was to evaluate the microbiological effect of removing feathers from carcasses while they are out of the scalding water moving between the tanks of a multiple-tank scald er. Partially defeathered carcasses in such a system would later pass throu gh tanks with cleaner hot water, which might enhance any bactericidal or wa shing effect of the hot scald water, adn much smaller quantities of feces a nd other contamination should enter the last picking machines. In the labor atory processing plant, however,intermittent scalding and picking of carcas ses failed to show any reduction in numbers of aerobic bacteria, E. coli, o r Campylobacter on carcasses rinsed immediately after the final defeatherin g step.