Effect of photocatalytic oxidation on aerobic bacteria counts of broiler carcass

Abstract

In the present study the effect of Photocatalytic Oxidation (PCO) on the skin bacteria counts of broiler carcasses was examined. For this purpose, the carcasses preserved in a cold storage environment were subjected to decontamination through a PCO tunnel and the total aerobic bacteria counts were determined by taking samples from carcass skins at the start and 3rd, 5th, 7th and 12th h following the treatment. Each sampling process was repeated 3 times for 20 broiler carcasses. By means of the PCO treatment, a linear decrease in total aerobic bacteria counts was observed for all sampling times. It was determined that the bacteria count on carcass skin decreased by 1.45 log10 CFU/cm2 at the 12th h of the treatment. The findings obtained in this study set forth that PCO is an alternative method that can be used for skin bacteria decontamination of broiler carcasses. © Medwell Journals, 2013.