The establishment of critical control points at the washing and air chilling stages in poultry meat production using multivariate statistics

The selection of control points is one of the most important steps in the design of a Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) system. Total Count, Pseudomonas and Enterobacteriaceae are microorganisms frequently analyzed on carcasses in slaughterhouses. Its usefulness can be assessed by means of univariate and multivariate statistical methods. In this study, the use of these microbiological parameters for verification of the effect of the stages of washing with pressurized water and air chilling has been evaluated. It makes clear that multivariate statistics appears as a valuable tool to check which points and stages of the process must be controlled, demonstrating that the washing stage produces significant decreases in contamination (so it must be considered a CCP). The air chilling stage maintains the decrease in the contamination as the carcasses come out of the washing process. This is due to the control of temperature under adequate limits. The chiller air temperature would be considered a CCP in a HACCP system.