On the microbiological safety of chicken by-products

One of the most significant challenges in poultry slaughter product manufacturing remains the risk of contamination of poultry carcasses and internal organs with pathogenic and opportunistic microflora. This contamination poses a threat to human health, leading to toxic infections and toxicosis. Therefore, the primary objective of veterinary specialists is to ensure the microbiological safety of chicken by-products to prevent the entry of foodborne disease-causing microorganisms. This study presents data on the microbiological indicators of chilled and frozen poultry by-products. It was established that no pathogenic microorganisms, including bacteria of the genus Salmonella spp. and Listeria monocytogenes , were detected in any of the analyzed chicken by-product samples (liver, heart, muscular stomach). Furthermore, QMA&OAMO (KMAFAnM) conformed to the requirements of EAEU TR 051/2021 "On the Safety of Poultry Meat and Processed Poultry Products." However, during the examination of frozen chicken liver samples, the growth of coliform bacteria was observed on Endo selective-diagnostic medium, which is unacceptable. This finding highlights the necessity of conducting such microbiological analyses to ensure the safety of poultry by-products at all stages of production, processing, storage, and sale within the poultry processing industry.