THE EFFECT OF CHLORTETRACYCLINE ON EVISCERATED CHILLED CHICKENS COMMERCIALLY PROCESSED IN GREAT BRITAIN

SUMMARY Thirty broiler chickens of known weight and history were processed simultaneously under normal conditions in each of three poultry packing stations, visually assessed to be operating at ‘ideal’, ‘good’, and ‘poor’levels of hygiene. The eviscerated carcases were bisected, cooled to 3° in chilled air, and distributed between three treatment groups which were dipped for 30 min in chilled water containing 0, 10 and 20 p/m of chlortetracycline respectively. During storage at 3° for 3 weeks, microbiological and sensory examinations were undertaken. At all levels of hygiene, the application of the antibiotic significantly delayed the onset of spoilage; the differences between the effects of 10 and 20 p/m were small and generally insignificant. Bacterial counts of 10 6 /cm 2 of skin were obtained from the controls on the 7th day of storage whereas similar counts on the treated groups were not reached until the 14th day. ‘Off’odours developed in the control groups between the 5th and 7th days and in the treated groups between the 10th and 14th days. The nature of the spoilage flora acquired during processing appeared to be associated with the duration of storage.