Microbiology Survey of Equipment in Selected Poultry Processing Plants

Predetermined areas from 24 selected pieces of equipment in thirteen Georgia poultry processing plants were swabbed prior to start-up and before and after midday cleanup on two consecutive days in an attempt to detect potential sources of contamination and to determine the effectiveness of the cleanup procedure. A moistened calcium alginate swab was used to take samples from the surface of the equipment. A one percent sodium citrate solution was used in making serial dilutions. Significantly less contamination of equipment was found on Mondays than Tuesdays. Picker fingers were found to be the most difficult piece of equipment to clean. Knives and scissors used in the evisceration procedure and in cut-up operations were found to be highly contaminated before start-up in most of the plants surveyed which indicated inadequate cleanup. When scald tanks and chillers were permitted to overflow during lunch break, a dilution effect occurred which reduced the microbial load. Microbial counts of ice ranged from a low of 10 to a high of 4,500 per ml. Packaging materials were found to have higher microbial counts prior to start-up than before or after lunch break. Gloves were found to be more highly contaminated than the hands of the employees wearing the gloves. It was concluded that poultry processing plants need the information which a microbiological survey can provide in order to locate potential sources of microbial contamination throughout the plant. The control or elimination of such contamination can result in increased shelf life of the product.