Comparison of Dry and Wet De-Feathering Methods on the Quality Characteristics and Shelf Life of Broiler Carcasses

Abstract

In poultry slaughterhouses, carcasses can be contaminated with microorganisms at various points during the slaughtering processes, affecting some quality characteristics and shelf life of chicken meat. The present study was conducted to investigate the effects of different de-feathering methods on the meat quality characteristics and shelf life of broiler chickens. Forty male broilers 42 days of age (Ross 308) were used in the experiment. After slaughtering, they divided into 2 groups and first group was de-feathered by simple dry plucking method (DPM) and the other was a classic wet method (CWM). 5 fillets and 5 drumsticks from each treatment group were analyzed 0, 3, 5, and 7th days of storage time. The water holding capacity (WHC), color, pH and Warner-Bratzler shear force value (W-BSFV) were analyzed for meat quality characteristics of the raw meat samples. Total aerobic mesophilic bacteria, total psychrophilic bacteria, numbers of microorganisms assessed critically for food safety such as coliform bacteria, E. coli, Enterococcus spp. Campylobacter spp. also, the presence of Salmonella spp. in carcasses was determined. The results indicated that the skin colors of the fillets and drumsticks were yellower and the meat color of the drumsticks was darker in the DPM group than CWM. On the other hand, no significant effects of the plucking method were detected on the WHC and W-BSFV of the samples. The pH value of the fillets was higher in CWM group (P<0.01), but there were no differences between the pH values of drumsticks of two groups. The microorganism levels, however, were influenced significantly (P<0.01) by the plucking methods and the storage time. The shelf life of the carcasses was shortened, due to the high microbial load in DPM group. It is concluded that simple DPM may be used by low capacity farms which produce the broilers for consumers who prefer yellow-skinned chicken meat at the expense of reduction in the shelf life due to increased microbial load.