Studies of Different Sampling Methods for the Determination of Bacterial Counts from Frozen Broilers

The attachment of bacteria to the skin of broilers was not influenced by freezing or thawing of the carcasses. Only a small proportion of indicator organisms which were attached to the skin during processing were recovered in either the thaw water or rinsing fluid; a close correlation was found between bacterial counts from both types of sample. Numbers of Enterobacteriaceae and total counts were readily obtained by sampling the thaw water and this is, moreover, a non‐destructive method. In order to detect the presence or absence of pathogenic micro‐organisms the rinsing method was considered to be preferable, provided that the whole of the rinsing fluid was tested in each case.