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

Brazil is among the world's leading exporters of chicken meat, and microbiological evaluation of carcasses is essential to verify process hygiene and safety. This study assessed the microbiological effectiveness and economic impact of two sampling methods for poultry carcasses: the excision of pooled samples of skin and muscle from multiple carcass regions, as recommended by Brazilian authorities, and the excision of neck skin alone. In accordance with Brazilian authorities guidelines requiring carcass evaluation through <i>Enterobacteriaceae</i> counts, these microorganisms were employed to assess contamination across different regions of 90 carcasses. Subsequently, <i>Enterobacteriaceae</i> counts were performed on 144 carcasses using both sampling methods. Mesophilic microorganisms, total coliforms, <i>Escherichia coli</i>, and <i>Staphylococcus</i> were tested in ten carcasses sampled by both methods to confirm the results obtained from the enumeration of <i>Enterobacteriaceae</i> and results were evaluated using Shapiro-Wilk, Levene, F-test, Kruskal-Wallis, Dunn, and <i>T</i>-test. Additionally, costs related to labor time and protein waste were quantified in 18 slaughterhouses. Results showed that <i>Enterobacteriaceae</i> counts in neck, cloaca, and wing regions were similar but significantly lower than those in pooled dorsal samples (<i>p</i> < 0.05). Neck skin samples were statistically comparable to dorsal pooled samples and exhibited higher contamination than ventral samples, demonstrating equivalent or superior microbiological representativeness. The neck skin method required less time, produced less protein waste, and reduced costs by 99%, indicating a more efficient and cost-effective alternative for microbiological monitoring of poultry carcasses.