Rate of Salmonellae and Bacillus cereus in some Retailed cut-up Chicken and Poultry Meat Products

Abstract

Food poisoning illness outbreaks brought about by pathogenic bacteria and/ or their toxins are yet worry of both shopper and food industry. Accordingly, one hundred and seventy-five samples were collected randomly, samples included frozen chicken breast, frozen chicken thigh, chicken luncheon, chicken burger and chicken frankfurter (35 of each), collected from different supermarkets in Cairo and New Valley governorate for incidence of Salmonella species and Bacillus cereus. Salmonella typhimurium was detected in percentage of 5.7%, and 2.9% in chicken breast and chicken thigh respectively, while Salmonella enteritidis was isolated from chicken breast and chicken thigh with the same percentage (2.9%), but Salmonellae as a whole failed to be detected in chicken burger, luncheon & frankfurter. On the other hand, Bacillus cereus was isolated in a percentage of 8.6 %, 8.6%, 17.1%, 14.3% and 11.4%, from chicken breast, thigh, burger, luncheon and frankfurter, respectively. Thus, it is important to control contamination of chicken meat in abattoirs with Salmonellae and Bacillus cereus to reduce the incidence of food borne infection to humans.