Microbiological evaluation of feet-cutter disc for broiler with a self-washing system using heated and non-heated water

The increased worldwide demand for chicken meat requires constant automation of operating systems and the proper implementation of self-control programs by slaughterhouses. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of a self-washing system using heated water on reducing the load of public health concern bacteria on a broiler feet-cutter disc. In a three-month period, 84 samples (n = 42 per group) were collected for microbiological analysis from the feet-cutter disc with an operational self-washing process with Non-Heated Water (NHW) and Heated Water (HW). The logarithmic counts of Mesophilic Aerobics, Sulphite-Reducing Clostridia (SRC), Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus in the NHW group were 1.82, 0.56, 0.31 and 0.14 Log 10 CFU/cm 2 , respectively, whereas in the HW group were 1.17, 0.04, 0.15 and 0.08 Log 10 CFU/cm 2 . Salmonella spp. was absent in all evaluated samples in both groups. The heated-water system reduced bacterial count, but statistical differences were solely observed for Mesophilic Aerobics and SRC. Nevertheless, its usage could be an additive in the operational procedure to avoid microbiological violations of food safety, in addition to being easy-to-implement and affordable for the industry.