Best Management and Processing Practices of Poultry Meats

Poultry meat is one of the most widely consumed animal proteins in the world, and for good reason. It is nutritious, relatively affordable, and versatile in cooking. It can come from a dual-purpose poultry farm that produces both meat and eggs, or from a single-purpose operation focused entirely on meat production.

From a nutritional standpoint, poultry meat is an excellent food for humans. It provides nutrients for growth, tissue replacement, and weight control, largely because of its lower fat content compared to red meat.

Poultry meat also contains more unsaturated fatty acids than beef or pork, making it a healthier choice for consumers watching their cardiovascular health. The fat content in chicken is higher in males and older birds, and most of it is found under the skin rather than distributed throughout the muscle tissue.

The protein in poultry meat is comparable to that of beef and pork in amino acid composition and contains all the essential amino acids required by the human body. It is also easily digested. In addition to protein, poultry meat is a good source of riboflavin, thiamin, and ascorbic acid. Key minerals found in the meat include sodium, iron, sulphur, calcium, phosphorus, and chlorine.

Producing good poultry meat does not end at the farm. How the birds are caught, transported, slaughtered, processed, preserved, and marketed determines the final quality of the product that reaches the consumer. This guide covers all of these steps.

1. Processing of Chicken

Processing refers to the series of steps taken to convert a live bird into poultry meat ready for cooking. All birds intended for slaughter should be fasted for four to six hours beforehand.

This allows the intestines to empty, which improves the tenderness of the meat and reduces the risk of gut rupture during evisceration. If the gut ruptures, its contents will contaminate the carcass and reduce its quality and safety.

Read More: Chicken Eggs Handling Best Practices

2. Catching and Transportation

Whether birds are sold live or slaughtered on-farm, catching must be done with minimal stress to the animal. Stressed birds produce lower quality meat. The correct method is to catch birds by grasping them by the shanks, carrying no more than four or five birds at a time.

In tropical and subtropical conditions, the best time to catch birds is at dusk or during the night when temperatures are cooler and birds are calmer. They should be placed head-first into transportation crates with dimensions of approximately 80cm x 60cm x 30cm. Each crate can hold about ten mature broilers or adult laying birds.

Crated birds must be kept out of direct sunlight and placed in a well-ventilated space. Transporting birds during the hottest part of the day should always be avoided to prevent heat stress and death.

3. Slaughtering

Birds should be slaughtered at the correct age. Slaughtering too late leads to wasted feed and money, as feed consumed after the eighth or ninth week by broilers becomes uneconomical. It also results in excess fat accumulation and loss of meat tenderness, which reduces product quality and consumer acceptability.

Proper blood drainage during slaughter is important, especially if the carcass is to be stored. Good drainage reduces bacterial load and improves shelf life. Several methods are used for slaughtering:

i. Bleeding cone method: The bird is immobilized in a bleeding cone and the jugular vein is cut to ensure complete blood drainage. The cut is made below the ear.

ii. Electrical stunning: In large-scale operations, birds are stunned by passing their heads through a shallow trough of electrified water. Once stunned, the jugular vein is cut with a sharp knife.

iii. Manual method: The bird is held by its legs and a clean cut is made through the neck veins with a sharp knife, approximately 2cm below the eyes.

In all methods, blood should drain into a container rather than being allowed to spill around the slaughter area.

4. Plucking

Plucking is the removal of feathers from the carcass. There are three main methods.

A. Scalding

The bird is immersed in hot water for about two minutes after slaughter. The recommended water temperatures are 52 degrees Celsius for broilers, 55 degrees Celsius for old laying hens, and 59 degrees Celsius for turkeys. Scalding relaxes the muscles and softens the skin, making feathers much easier to remove.

B. Dry Plucking

Feathers are removed by hand while the body is still warm after slaughter. The bird is held head-downward with one hand while feathers are pulled off with the other. The correct order is to start with the large feathers, then move to the back, sides, abdomen, breast, legs, neck, and finally the wings.

C. Mechanical Plucking

Mechanical pluckers use rubber fingers mounted on rapidly revolving drums to strip feathers from the carcass. Quill feathers that remain are removed by hand afterward. This method is best suited to large-scale operations where speed and efficiency are priorities.

5. Evisceration and Carcass Preparation

Evisceration involves removing the internal organs from the carcass. The process begins by cutting around the vent or anus area to open the body cavity. The gut is removed and edible parts such as the gizzard, heart, and liver are separated from waste material. The gizzard is cut open separately to remove its contents and the inner skin layer known as the epithelium.

The giblets, which consist of the heart, gizzard, and liver along with the neck, may be included with the carcass or sold separately depending on market preference. The shanks are removed. The carcass is thoroughly washed, then hung for five to ten minutes to drain excess water before being wrapped in plastic bags. Each carcass is then weighed and graded according to market specifications.

6. Preservation

Most carcass preparation happens at normal temperatures, which means bacteria can multiply quickly if the carcass is not cooled promptly. After processing, carcasses should be chilled as soon as possible to limit bacterial growth. The most effective method is chilling in a refrigeration plant, preferably one with forced air circulation. Moisture levels in the incoming air should be controlled carefully to prevent excessive moisture loss from the carcasses.

7. Storage

Storage temperature depends on how long the carcass needs to be kept before use. For consumption within one to two days, storage at positive 2 degrees Celsius in a standard refrigerator is sufficient. For longer storage periods, the carcass should be frozen to negative 5 degrees Celsius or ideally to negative 18 degrees Celsius for extended shelf life.

Read More: Recommended Management Practices for Broilers

8. Spoilage of Poultry Meat

Although the muscle tissue of a healthy bird is sterile, the bird carries large numbers of microorganisms on its feathers, feet, and in its intestinal tract. These can contaminate the carcass during processing if hygiene is not maintained at every stage.

Several factors favor the survival and growth of spoilage organisms on poultry carcasses. These include the presence of large numbers of organisms on the carcass, spore-forming bacteria like Clostridium perfringens which are difficult to destroy, dual contamination from Salmonella and E. coli that are present both on the farm and in the intestines of birds, and warm temperatures that allow food poisoning organisms called mesophiles to multiply rapidly.

A. Measures Against Spoilage

i. Chlorination: Treating carcasses with water containing chlorine or sodium hypochlorite reduces bacterial load. This water has very low bactericidal activity but helps reduce surface contamination on the carcass.

ii. Cold storage: For short-term storage, birds can be chilled at 4 degrees Celsius immediately after slaughter without full evisceration or individual wrapping. For long-term storage, sanitary processing, rapid chilling, low storage temperatures, and moisture-proof packaging are all required. The target storage temperature for long-term preservation is negative 18 degrees Celsius. At 7 degrees Celsius, storage life is only a few days.

9. Marketing of Poultry Meat

Marketing poultry meat involves deciding how to sell broiler chickens to generate income. The farmer must decide whether to sell birds live or to slaughter and prepare them for the table. This decision depends on the sophistication of the available market, the religious beliefs of consumers in the area, and the typical pattern of consumption.

There are two main types of markets for poultry meat.

i. Contracted markets: These involve a formal or informal agreement between the producer and buyer, with specific terms around what is bought and sold. Examples include hotels, hostels, supermarkets, institutions, and commercial slaughter houses.

ii. Non-contracted markets: These are open or free markets where the farmer is not bound to sell to any specific buyer. Birds can be sold live or slaughtered. Examples include home consumption, sales to family and friends, roadside trading, farm gate sales, local farmers markets, and retail outlets.

Summary on Best Management and Processing Practices of Poultry Meats

Frequently Asked Questions About Best Management and Processing Practices of Poultry Meats

1. Why must birds be fasted before slaughter?

Fasting for four to six hours before slaughter empties the intestines. This reduces the risk of the gut rupturing during evisceration, which would contaminate the carcass. It also helps improve the tenderness of the meat.

2. What is the best time to catch broilers for transport in tropical climates?

The best time is at dusk or during the night when temperatures are cooler and birds are calmer. Catching and transporting during the heat of the day causes stress and can kill birds before they reach the processing point.

3. Why is slaughtering at the right age important for broilers?

Broilers slaughtered after the eighth or ninth week consume feed without producing proportional returns. They also accumulate excess fat and the meat loses its tenderness, making it less acceptable to consumers and reducing its market value.

4. What are the differences between the three plucking methods?

Scalding uses hot water to loosen feathers before manual removal. Dry plucking removes feathers by hand while the carcass is still warm. Mechanical plucking uses rubber-fingered drums to strip feathers on a large scale. Each method suits different operation sizes and circumstances.

5. What organs make up the giblets in a chicken carcass?

The giblets consist of the heart, gizzard, and liver. The neck may also be included. These parts are edible and are often sold separately or packaged with the carcass depending on market preference.

6. How quickly should a carcass be chilled after processing?

As quickly as possible. The muscle tissue of a freshly slaughtered bird is sterile, but contamination from feathers, skin, and intestinal content can happen quickly during processing. Rapid chilling to 4 degrees Celsius or lower limits bacterial multiplication and extends shelf life.

7. What temperature should poultry meat be stored at for long-term preservation?

For long-term storage, poultry meat should be frozen to negative 18 degrees Celsius. At temperatures of 7 degrees Celsius or above, shelf life is reduced to only a few days.

8. What bacteria commonly cause spoilage in poultry meat?

Common spoilage organisms include Salmonella, E. coli, and Clostridium perfringens. These bacteria are found on the farm, on the feathers and feet of birds, and in the intestinal tract. Strict hygiene during processing and prompt chilling are the main defenses against them.

9. What is the difference between contracted and non-contracted markets for poultry?

Contracted markets involve formal or informal agreements with specific buyers such as hotels, supermarkets, and institutions. Non-contracted markets are open-access outlets like farm gates, roadside traders, local markets, and direct sales to family or friends with no binding agreements.

10. How does chlorination help prevent poultry meat spoilage?

Treating the carcass with chlorinated water reduces the number of bacteria on the surface. Chlorine or sodium hypochlorite added to processing water has bactericidal properties that help lower the microbial load, reducing the risk of rapid spoilage during storage.

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