The effect of chlorination on chicken carcasses infected with Salmonellae

Abstract

A study was made of the effect of chlorine solutions on broiler chicken carcasses that had been artificially infected with salmonellae. One hundred and sixteen carcasses were infected with widely varying numbers of seven different salmonella serotypes.Treatment of carcasses with 200 p.p.m. of chlorine for 10 min. usually prevented the subsequent recovery of salmonellae when fewer than 1000 organisms had been inoculated. When larger numbers of organisms were inoculated or when lower concentrations of chlorine were used, salmonellae were usually recovered from the treated carcasses.It is suggested that the incorporation of chlorination with 200 p.p.m. for 10 min. into the routine processing of poultry carcasses would greatly reduce the number of contaminated birds leaving processing factories.We wish to thank the management of a local poultry-packing factory for their co-operation, without which this investigation would not have been possible. We are also grateful to Miss P. E. Ellis for technical assistance.