EFFICACY OF WATER AND LACTIC ACID AS WASH SOLUTION IN PREVENTING RECONTAMINATION IN REFRIGERATED CHICKEN CARCASS

Abstract

This experiment was conducted to study the efficacy of distilled water and lactic acid as wash solutions in preventing recontamination of some specific microbes on refrigerated chicken carcass. Chicken wings were purchased from an open market in Kuto, Abeokuta, Ogun State which were flayed (removing of the skin from the lean meat). The flayed skin (50 g) was initially observed for microbial load and was then agitated in the two wash solutions in a stomacher blender for 10 seconds, and then refrigerated for 9 days. Microbial load counts and identification were done at days 0, 3, 6 and 9 days of refrigeration. All measured parameters were significantly (P<0.05) different. Microbes such as Salmonella and Shigella, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus were observed on meat samples. Both treatments 1 and 2 showed the same trend of microbial load, in which all the bacteria were reduced as refrigeration days increased. The bacteria population of chicken wings washed in distilled water was not as effective as those washed in 0.4% lactic acid. There was total removal of Staphylococcus aureus from 190 logio cfu/ml to 0 log10 cfu/ml after washing in 0.4% lactic acid solution.