ABSTRACT
As mentioned in Chapter 8.17.1, Byrd et al. (2002) reported that research has identified the crop as a source of Salmonella and Campylobacter contamination for broiler carcasses, and broiler crops are 86 times more likely to rupture than ceca during commercial processing. Using a fluorescent marker at commercial processing plants, the authors evaluated leakage of crop and upper gastrointestinal contents from broilers. Broilers were orally gavaged with a fluorescent marker paste (cornmeal-fluorescein dye-agar) within 30 minutes of live hang (Byrd et al., 2002). Carcasses were collected at several points during processing and were examined for upper gastrointestinal leakage using long-wavelength black light. ’is survey indicated that 67% of the total broiler carcasses were positive for the marker at the rehang station following head and shank removal. Crops were mechanically removed from 61% of the carcasses prior to the cropper, and visual online examination indicated leakage of crop contents following crop removal by the Pac-Man. Examination of the carcasses prior to the cropper detected the marker in the following regions: neck (50.5% positive), thoracic inlet (69.7% positive), thoracic cavity (35.4% positive), and abdominal cavity (34.3% positive). Immediately prior to chill immersion, 53.2% of the carcasses contained some degree of visually identifiable marker contamination, in areas as follows: neck (41.5% positive), thoracic inlet (45.2% positive), thoracic cavity (26.2% positive), and abdominal cavity (30.2% positive) (Byrd et al., 2002).
