Broiler Carcass Bacterial Counts After Immersion Chilling Using Either a Low or High Volume of Water

ABSTRACT A study was conducted to investigate the bacteriological impact of using different volumes of water during immersion chilling of broiler carcasses. Market-aged broilers were processed, and carcasses were cut into left and right halves along the keel bone immediately after the final bird wash. One half of each carcass pair was individually chilled at 4°C in a separate bag con-taining either 2.1 L/kg (low) or 16.8 L/kg (high) of dis-tilled water. Carcass halves were submersed in a second-ary chill tank containing approximately 150 L of an ice-water mix (0.6°C). After chilling for 45 min, carcass halves were rinsed with 100 mL of sterile water for 1 min. Rinses and chill water were analyzed for total aerobic bacteri