Effect of Ecotechnological Chilling Parameters on Carcass Temperature and Mass Loss of Broiler Carcasses

This study comparatively evaluated the performance of three industrial broiler carcass chilling methods—air chilling, combination chilling (air and water spraying), and the Thor Ice ice-slurry system—under commercial processing conditions. A total of 90 Ross 308 carcasses were analyzed (30 per method, in three repetitions). Air chilling and Thor Ice chilling were conducted for 1 h 45 min at 4000 birds/h, whereas combination chilling lasted 3 h at 7200 birds/h. For each carcass, initial and final temperature and weight were recorded to determine chilling loss. Significant differences were observed among the methods (p < 0.05). Combination chilling achieved the lowest final temperature (1.4 °C), while Thor Ice chilling resulted in the smallest chilling loss (−0.47%). The analysis of energy consumption revealed that air chilling had the highest electrical energy use (15,491.6 kWh/h), whereas the Thor Ice system had a lower energy demand (13,511.2 kWh/h). Combination chilling exhibited the highest water consumption (413.7 m3), reflecting the use of water spraying. Based on these findings, combination chilling was the most effective in reducing carcass temperature, while the Thor Ice system provided a technologically efficient alternative with minimal mass loss and reduced energy demand.