Microbiological Efficacy and Cost-Effectiveness of Poultry Carcass Excision Sampling Methods in Brazil

Poultry meat is consumed worldwide, with Brazil being a major producer and exporter. Microbiological evaluation of carcasses has been used for verifying process hygiene and safety. This study compared the microbiological effectiveness and costs of two sampling methods for poultry carcasses: analysis of composite samples of skin and muscle from various carcass regions and analysis of the neck skin only. Enterobacteriaceae counts were performed across different carcass regions to identify the most contaminated and easiest part to sample. Subsequently, costs related to labor time and protein waste were quantified in 18 slaughterhouses. Counts in the muscle and skin of the neck, cloaca, and wing regions were similar but significantly lower than those in the grouped dorsal samples (p<0.05). Neck skin samples were statistically similar to the grouped dorsal samples, were easier to collect, and showed statistically higher contamination than ventral samples, indicating equivalent or superior microbiological representativeness. The neck skin sampling method required less time, generated less protein waste, was simpler to perform, and reduced estimated costs by 97%. These results indicated that neck skin excision is a more effective and economical alternative for the microbiological sampling of poultry carcasses.