Investigating the microbial contamination of poultry carcasses during processing in Najafabad industrial slaughterhouse

Subject Areas : Food Microbial Contamination

حمدالله مشتاقی ^{1 *} , Amir Shafiee Dastgherdy ² , Mojtaba Bonyadian ³

1 -
2 - University of Shahrekord
3 - . Department of Food Hygiene and Quality Control, Faculty of Vet.Med, Shahrekord University, Iran

Received: 2025-05-16 Accepted : 2025-07-31 Published : 2025-08-05

Keywords: Salmonella, Poultry carcass, Slaughterhouse, Esfahan province,

Abstract :

Meat is one of the most important human needs and the main source of protein. Salmonellosis is one of theon of this disease, determining the frequency and the level of bacterial contamination is a criterion for sanitation hygiene assessment of the slaughterhouses to prevent possible health risks for consumers. This study aimed to to evaluate sanitary-hygienic status of the Najafabad poultry slaughterhouse in 2024. For this purpose, random sampling was performed from the water used in the equipment and the surface of the carcass skin in the chest area. In addition, 170 samples were examined in 5 times during different stages of slaughter using conventional culture method to identify Salmonella. The results showed that 20 out of 170 samples (11.8%) tested positive for Salmonella. The highest contamination (45%) was observed in the chiller. The findings of this study indicated that the chillers, emptying the inside of the carcass, and stuffing the carcass are critical points in the slaughterhouse. Generally, it can be concluded that, since the presence of Salmonella in poultry carcasses, proper washing of the carcass, and adherence to hygiene principles at all stages of the slaughter process are essential to ensure access to public health and hygiene.

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