Bacterial Microbiome Diversity Along Poultry Slaughtering Lines: Insights from Chicken Carcasses and Environmental Sources

Overview

Journal J Vet Res

Publisher Sciendo

Specialty Veterinary Medicine

Date 2024 Sep 26

PMID 39324025

Authors

Arife Ezgi Telli

Yusuf Bicer

Nihat Telli

Gonca Sonmez

Gamze Turkal

Ismail Guzel

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Introduction: This study aimed to determine the bacterial diversity of chicken carcasses and their surrounding environment at various stages along a poultry slaughter line.

Material And Methods: Amplicon sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene was employed to assess the shifts in bacterial community diversity at both phylum and genus levels. Samples were collected from September to November 2021, targeting carcass surfaces at various operational stages (post-defeathering, post-evisceration, post-water chilling, and post-cooling), as well as from the internal environments and air of these units. The study took place in a vertically integrated poultry slaughterhouse in Konya, Turkey.

Results: Microbial diversity increased after the chilling and storage stages as a result of redistribution of the microorganisms after the physical effect of the slaughtering stages. The final product sample taken after storage had the highest bacterial abundance. The abundance at this stage was found to be strongly correlated with that at other slaughtering stages, as well as with the abundance in chilling water and on the personnel's hands. The common genera in chicken carcasses during slaughter stages were , , , , , , and . Microbiome data in environmental samples indicated that the genera in highest relative abundance were , , and . In air samples, the storage room had the highest diversity and in this place spp. and spp. were in the majority.

Conclusion: This study may provide some useful information to pinpoint the critical contamination sources in the poultry slaughtering process.

References

Klindworth A, Pruesse E, Schweer T, Peplies J, Quast C, Horn M . Evaluation of general 16S ribosomal RNA gene PCR primers for classical and next-generation sequencing-based diversity studies. Nucleic Acids Res. 2012; 41(1):e1. PMC: 3592464. DOI: 10.1093/nar/gks808. View

Chen S, Fegan N, Kocharunchitt C, Bowman J, Duffy L . Changes of the bacterial community diversity on chicken carcasses through an Australian poultry processing line. Food Microbiol. 2019; 86:103350. DOI: 10.1016/j.fm.2019.103350. View

Zhang J, Mo S, Li H, Yang R, Liu X, Xing X . as a Cause of Disease: First Isolation from Farmed Chickens. Vet Sci. 2022; 9(12). PMC: 9783258. DOI: 10.3390/vetsci9120653. View

Kim S, Park S, Lee S, Owens C, Ricke S . Assessment of Chicken Carcass Microbiome Responses During Processing in the Presence of Commercial Antimicrobials Using a Next Generation Sequencing Approach. Sci Rep. 2017; 7:43354. PMC: 5322484. DOI: 10.1038/srep43354. View

Lues J, Theron M, Venter P, Rasephei M . Microbial composition in bioaerosols of a high-throughput chicken-slaughtering facility. Poult Sci. 2006; 86(1):142-9. DOI: 10.1093/ps/86.1.142. View

Figueroa G, Troncoso M, Lopez C, Rivas P, Toro M . Occurrence and enumeration of Campylobacter spp. during the processing of Chilean broilers. BMC Microbiol. 2009; 9:94. PMC: 2689229. DOI: 10.1186/1471-2180-9-94. View

Rothrock Jr M, Locatelli A, Glenn T, Thomas J, Caudill A, Kiepper B . Assessing the microbiomes of scalder and chiller tank waters throughout a typical commercial poultry processing day. Poult Sci. 2016; 95(10):2372-82. DOI: 10.3382/ps/pew234. View

Leung M, Lee P . The roles of the outdoors and occupants in contributing to a potential pan-microbiome of the built environment: a review. Microbiome. 2016; 4(1):21. PMC: 4877933. DOI: 10.1186/s40168-016-0165-2. View

Samapundo S, de Baenst I, Aerts M, Cnockaert M, Devlieghere F, Van Damme P . Tracking the sources of psychrotrophic bacteria contaminating chicken cuts during processing. Food Microbiol. 2019; 81:40-50. DOI: 10.1016/j.fm.2018.06.003. View

10.

Zhang X, Peng Z, Li P, Mao Y, Shen R, Tao R . Complex Internal Microstructure of Feather Follicles on Chicken Skin Promotes the Bacterial Cross-Contamination of Carcasses During the Slaughtering Process. Front Microbiol. 2020; 11:571913. PMC: 7527466. DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.571913. View

11.

Arnaouteli S, Bamford N, Stanley-Wall N, Kovacs A . Bacillus subtilis biofilm formation and social interactions. Nat Rev Microbiol. 2021; 19(9):600-614. DOI: 10.1038/s41579-021-00540-9. View

12.

Hutchison M, Taylor M, Tchorzewska M, Ford G, Madden R, Knowles T . Modelling-based identification of factors influencing campylobacters in chicken broiler houses and on carcasses sampled after processing and chilling. J Appl Microbiol. 2017; 122(5):1389-1401. DOI: 10.1111/jam.13434. View

13.

Moen B, Rossvoll E, Mage I, Moretro T, Langsrud S . Microbiota formed on attached stainless steel coupons correlates with the natural biofilm of the sink surface in domestic kitchens. Can J Microbiol. 2016; 62(2):148-60. DOI: 10.1139/cjm-2015-0562. View

14.

Kanaan M, Al-Shadeedi S, Al-Massody A, Ghasemian A . Drug resistance and virulence traits of Acinetobacter baumannii from Turkey and chicken raw meat. Comp Immunol Microbiol Infect Dis. 2020; 70:101451. DOI: 10.1016/j.cimid.2020.101451. View

15.

Tang C, Chung F, Lin M, Wan G . Impact of patient visiting activities on indoor climate in a medical intensive care unit: a 1-year longitudinal study. Am J Infect Control. 2009; 37(3):183-8. DOI: 10.1016/j.ajic.2008.06.011. View

16.

Stella S, Tirloni E, Bernardi C, Grilli G . Evaluation of effect of chilling steps during slaughtering on the Campylobacter sp. counts on broiler carcasses. Poult Sci. 2021; 100(3):100866. PMC: 7936133. DOI: 10.1016/j.psj.2020.11.043. View

17.

Roccato A, Mancin M, Barco L, Cibin V, Antonello K, Cocola F . Usefulness of indicator bacteria as potential marker of Campylobacter contamination in broiler carcasses. Int J Food Microbiol. 2018; 276:63-70. DOI: 10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2018.04.003. View

18.

Barouni A, Augusto C, Lopes M, Zanini M, Salas C . A pncA polymorphism to differentiate between Mycobacterium bovis and Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Mol Cell Probes. 2004; 18(3):167-70. DOI: 10.1016/j.mcp.2003.11.006. View

19.

Goksoy E, Kirkan S, Kok F . Microbiological quality of broiler carcasses during processing in two slaughterhouses in Turkey. Poult Sci. 2004; 83(8):1427-32. DOI: 10.1093/ps/83.8.1427. View

20.

Lytou A, Renieri C, Doulgeraki A, Nychas G, Panagou E . Assessment of the microbiological quality and safety of marinated chicken products from Greek retail outlets. Int J Food Microbiol. 2020; 320:108506. DOI: 10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2019.108506. View