Assessment of Salmonella spp., Aerobic Counts, and Enterobacteriaceae Dynamics in Chicken Tenders in a Commercial Poultry Processing Facility

Abstract

In the United States, chicken is one of the most consumed meats but is linked to foodborne illnesses, especially those caused by Salmonella spp., making poultry a key focus for food safety. This study analyzed Salmonella spp., Aerobic Counts (AC), and Enterobacteriaceae (EB) over two days in a poultry processing plant handling about 200,000 birds daily. A total of 256 samples from 64 combos were collected at the final packaging line. Salmonella detection was performed using the GENE-UP® System (AOAC 2020.02) and quantified with GENE-UP® QUANT (AOAC PTM 061801). Hygiene and fecal contamination were assessed using the TEMPO® system: TEMPO® AC (AOAC 2008.10) for aerobic mesophiles and TEMPO® EB (AOAC 2009.02) for Enterobacteriaceae. On Day 1, 81.25% of combos and 35.16% of samples tested positive for Salmonella, with 32.81% exceeding 1 Log CFU/mL (1.21–4.27 Log CFU/mL). On Day 2, prevalence dropped to 43.75% of combos and 16.41% of samples, with only 3.90% above the threshold (1.13–2.41 Log CFU/mL). AC peaked early on Day 1, then declined, while Day 2 showed stable levels. EB fluctuated on Day 1 and remained lower but with sporadic spikes on Day 2. This variability suggests contamination is unevenly distributed, and current regulations focusing on product condemnation may cause unnecessary food waste. Since poultry is usually cooked before consumption, low-level Salmonella presence does not always indicate a public health risk. Thus, process control, rather than product condemnation, should be used as a more realistic food safety measure to support public health and food security.