Evaluation of <i>Salmonella</i> Contamination in Slaughtered Broiler Chickens in Slaughterhouses in Golestan Province, Iran

Abstract

Background: Salmonella species are a primary pathogens of foodborne diseases, widely distributed in nature. Poultry is one of the essential known sources of Salmonella contamination. Slaughtering poultry in slaughterhouses can infect healthy poultry carcasses with Salmonella bacteria. Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate Salmonella contamination in slaughtered broiler chickens (SBCs) in slaughterhouses in Golestan province, Iran. Methods: To conduct the present study, 540 samples of SBCs were randomly selected from 12 chicken slaughterhouses in Golestan province, Iran. Frozen chicken samples were taken for analysis from January to March 2024. The national standard method of Iran (ISIRI) (No. 1810-1) was used to identify Salmonella in the selected samples. The total number of microorganisms (TNM) was counted using the surface counting method according to ISIRI (No.5272-2). Finally, the results were statistically analyzed by SPSS software version 22. Results: The results showed that Salmonella was not detected in any of the SBC samples, which indicates the outstanding quality of SBCs in terms of Salmonella. In addition, the average Log value of TNM was 2.81 ± 0.16 cfu/g, less than the permissible limit (log 10 cfu/g = 5 to 6) in all slaughterhouses and sampling months. Conclusions: The results showed that SBCs in Golestan province, Iran's slaughterhouses, are in good condition regarding microbial contamination. However, more studies are suggested to assess the different stages of the slaughterhouse more accurately regarding the presence and transfer of contamination to SBCs.