Application of multivariate statistical analysis to quality control systems. Relevance of the stages in poultry meat production

- Stages of poultry meat production have different relevance on the final quality.
- Stages can exert positive or negative influence on the quality of the product.
- Multivariate statistics can be applied to determine the influence of each stage.
- Plucking, gutting, washing and classifying stages must be considered control points.

The poultry meat production includes several stages. In this study, the whole process has been evaluated in order to determine the stages or processes which must be specially taken into account in the control system, and which other could be out of the routine controls. The study has been carried out in reverse by studying the relevance of every stages starting from the end of the process towards the initial point.A sequence of operations and consecutive statistical analyses has been performed to finally state the stages and/or operations that must be controlled.Based on the result of statistical studies, the plucking, gutting, washing and classifying stages should be considered Process Control Points. Air chilling and packaging stages are not considered checkpoints in the process verification system, although they should be included within the Good Hygiene Practices, since factors such as temperature, time, cleaning, disinfection or appropriate conditions of handling should be monitored.