This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Reprints and Permissions Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Avens, J. S. Articles by Miller, B. F. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Avens, J. S. Articles by Miller, B. F. Agricola Articles by Avens, J. S. Articles by Miller, B. F.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Appl Environ Microbiol. 1973 March; 25(3): 354-356
Copyright © 1973 American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Subcutaneous Bacteria in Turkey Carcasses¹

^a Department of Animal Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80521

ABSTRACT

Two methods were employed to quantitate the subcutaneous bacteria in fresh, refrigerated, and frozen turkey carcasses. Relatively few bacteria were detected in the skin-flesh interface and in the flesh as compared with the number of bacteria on the skin surface and in the skin layer. No subcutaneous bacteria were detected in 49% of the skin-flesh interface and flesh samples. The number of bacteria detected in skin samples from carcasses chemically disinfected to kill skin surface bacteria was smaller than that in nondisinfected skin samples. These results indicate that the skin blending method used to quantify microorganisms on poultry carcass skin measures the skin layer flora and that the number of subcutaneous membrane or flesh bacteria measured is not normally large enough to have a significant influence on the results.

¹ Published with the approval of the Director of the Colorado State University Experiment Station as Scientific Series Paper No. 1804.