Microbial Mapping-Guided Sequential Electrolyzed Water Treatment for Microbial Control and Quality Preservation of Silkie Chicken

초록

Silkie chicken is a premium indigenous breed valued for its melanin-rich meat. Like other fresh poultry products, however, it is susceptible to microbial contamination during slaughter and processing. This study assessed carcass bacterial loads, at five processing stages, environment contamination, and bacterial community dynamics at four representative stages in a commercial facility. Total viable count (TVC) remained high throughout processing, with Serratia and Acinetobacter dominating at different stages. Hierarchical clustering indicated similar community profiles at chilling/disinfection (S3) and packaging (S4). Based on hazard analysis and critical control point (HACCP) principles, S3 was identified as the primary critical control point (CCP). A sequential electrolyzed water (EW) intervention was then optimized in the laboratory using standardized breast-meat pieces obtained from S3 carcasses. Treatment with basic electrolyzed water (BEW) for 5 min followed by acidic electrolyzed water (AEW; pH = 3.1; initial available chlorine concentration, 50 mg/L) for 5 min reduced TVC by 1.35 log CFU/mL, a reduction comparable to that obtained with 200 mg/L NaClO under the tested conditions (p > 0.05). During storage at 4 degrees C, BEW-AEW limited microbial growth, total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N) accumulation, and pH increase, while yielding higher sensory scores than the untreated control on day 3. The control exceeded the applied TVB-N acceptability criteria by day 3, whereas BEW-AEW-treated samples remained within criteria through day 5, indicating a delay of at least 2 days in the first observed loss of quality acceptability. These findings support a microbial mapping-guided approach to process-specific hygiene improvement in commercial Silkie chicken processing.

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