Microbiological quality of retail chicken by-products in Spain

The microbiological quality of retail chicken parts (legs, wings and giblets) and processed chicken products (hamburgers and sausages) in Spain was investigated. Mean counts (log10 cfu/g) ranged from 5.56 to 7.28, 5.96 to 7.87, 3.49 to 5.42, 2.60 to 4.33 and 2.47 to 3.48 for mesophiles, psychrotrophs, coliforms, Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus, respectively. Chicken parts were generally regarded as being of unacceptable quality, since psychrotrophs, E. coli and S. aureus counts were higher than the maximum limits established in the guidelines for poultry meat. On the basis of Spanish Microbiological Standards, 80% of the samples of hamburgers and sausages were also regarded as being of unacceptable quality. The main reason for the lack of acceptability was excessive counts of mesophiles. The results in this study indicate that chicken by-products (especially those made with ground meat) could represent notable hazards to humans and are a cause of public health concern.