Process flow of chicken

Chicken--->Slaughter--->Scalding--->Defeathering--->Evisceration--->Spray-washing
--->Chilling--->Packaging--->Freezing--->Delivery to hospital--->Storing at hospital's walk-in-freezer

1. Slaughter: Birds are stunnd by electrical shock then cut their necks to sever carotid arteries. This step does not have any significant impact on the microbial qulity of finished product.
2. Scalding: To facilitate the removal of feathers.During scalding, soil,dust and fecal matter from the feet,feathers, skin, intestinal tract and respiration tract are released into the scald water.Thus, a variety of bacteria like Clostridium, Micrococcuc, Proteus, Pseudomonas, Salmonella, Staphylococcus and Streptococcus can be isolated from the scald water. However, the aerobic plate counts of scald water could be mainain at least <50>
3. Defeathering: Involved a series of machines through which scalded chickens will pass and in which rotating rubber finger beat the loosen feathers from the carcass. The aerobic plate count and Staphylococcal counts are higher in this process due to insufficient cleaning of the rubber fingers. Rubber fingers are difficlt to clean and are subject to wearing and cracking. Even before they deteriorate, the microorganisms can readily penetrate below the surface of the rubber.The freshly scalded chickes also create a warm and moist operating temperature within the defeathering machines thus provide a more favourable conditions for Staph.aureus to grow.The defeathering machines can be also colonized by some strains of Staph.aureus which will produce an extracellular slime and a tendency toward clumping. When these properties forms, they are more likely to increase the resistance of these strains to low level of chlorine and become indigenous to equipment as time goes by. Hence, there will be a mix strains of Staph.aureus from the chicken and the equipment. All these can be partially controlled by emphasizing adequate cleaing before disinfecting, replacing orn fingers, avoid excessive feathers accummulation, providing a spray of water with sufficient chlorine and not shrouding the machine so heat can escape. During defeathering, the major contamination are Campylobacter spp., Salmonellae and E.coli. It tends to spread microorganisms from contaminate carcasses to many carcasses. The microbial population on the carcasses will directly reflects the microbial quality of the carasses immediately after defeathering.
4. Evisceration: Edible viscera like hearts,livers and gizzards are removed from the carcassess. Thus, microorganisms are transferred from carcass to carcass by workers,inspectors and equipment. Besides, manual opening the abdominal cavity and evisceration can give rise to considerable contamination esp. To prevent an increase in microbial counts on the carcasses, mechanical evisceration requires proper maintenance and continuous cleaning of machinery.
5. Spray-washing: It is conducted after defeathering and again after evisceration to remove organic materials and some microorganisms acquired during evisceration. The sprays help to decrease the aerobic plate count, Enterobacteriaceae and coliforms by 50 to 90%. Adding cholrine to spray water can help to reduce bacterial counts. However, certain Pseudomonas spp. can still contaminate teh carcasses.
6. Chilling: This process is necessary to delay the growth of psychrotrophic spoilage bacteria and prevent growth of most foodborne bacteria thus improve the microbial safety and quality.
7. Packaging: The hygienic conditions of the conveyors and other equipments like knives and tables which contact the chilled chicken are the major factor influencing the rate of spoilage during packaging.
8. Freezing: The main purpose of this process is to extend the shelf-life of the carcasses by inhibiting the growth of those pathogenic mesophiles.
9. Delivery: During transportation , the temperature of food maintain <>Storage Condition @ hospital: The delivered carcasses are stored in a walk-in-freezer at tepmerature of -18 degree celsius to inhibit the growth of most pathogenic microorganisms.