(60) at slaughter,
bacterial counts increased by approximately 10-
to 100-fold during defeathering and reached the
highest level after evisceration. However,
bacterial counts on carcasses decline during
other slaughter and processing steps. In one
study, forced-air chilling of swine carcasses
caused a 100-fold reduction in carcass
contamination (61). In Texas turkey plants,
scalding reduced carcass counts to near or
below detectable levels (60). Adding sodium
chloride or trisodium phosphate to the chiller
water in the presence of an electrical current
reduced C. jejuni contamination of chiller
water by 2 log10 units (62). In a slaughter plant
in England, use of chlorinated sprays and
maintenance of clean working surfaces resulted
in a 10- to 100-fold decrease in carcass