Federal Inspection Service, Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture Livestock and Food Supply, Rua Treze de Maio, 1558, 6 uandar, Bela Vista, CEP 01327-002, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
J Food Prot. 2012 May;75(5):973-5. doi: 10.4315/0362-028X.JFP-11-376.
Since 2004, Brazil has been the leading exporter of chicken. Because of the importance of this sector in the Brazilian economy, food safety must be ensured by control and monitoring of the production stages susceptible to contamination, such as the chilling process. The goal of this study was to evaluate changes in microbial levels on chicken carcasses and in chilling water after immersion in a chilling system for 8 and 16 h during commercial processing. An objective of the study was to encourage discussion regarding the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture Livestock and Food Supply regulation that requires chicken processors to completely empty, clean, and disinfect each tank of the chilling system after every 8-h shift. Before and after immersion chilling, carcasses were collected and analyzed for mesophilic bacteria, Enterobacteriaceae, coliforms, and Escherichia coli. Samples of water from the chilling system were also analyzed for residual free chlorine. The results do not support required emptying of the chiller tank after 8 h; these tanks could be emptied after 16 h. The results for all carcasses tested at the 8- and 16-h time points indicated no significant differences in the microbiological indicators evaluated. These data provide both technical and scientific support for discussing changes in federal law regarding the management of immersion chilling water systems used as part of the poultry processing line.
自 2004 年以来，巴西一直是鸡肉的主要出口国。由于该行业在巴西经济中的重要性，食品安全必须通过控制和监测易受污染的生产阶段来保证，例如冷却过程。本研究的目的是评估在商业加工过程中，鸡肉浸入冷却系统 8 小时和 16 小时后，鸡只胴体和冷却水中微生物水平的变化。该研究的目的之一是鼓励讨论巴西农业、畜牧业和食品供应部的规定，该规定要求鸡肉加工商在每 8 小时班次后，彻底排空、清洁和消毒每个冷却系统的水箱。在浸入冷却之前和之后，收集和分析胴体的嗜温细菌、肠杆菌科、大肠菌群和大肠杆菌。还对冷却系统的水进行了残余游离氯的分析。结果不支持在 8 小时后排空冷却器水箱的要求；这些水箱可以在 16 小时后排空。对在 8 小时和 16 小时时间点测试的所有胴体的结果表明，评估的微生物指标没有显著差异。这些数据为讨论联邦法律关于作为家禽加工线一部分的浸入式冷却水处理系统的管理的变化提供了技术和科学支持。
