Health profile of frozen chickens sold on Kinshasa markets
Pages : 285-289, DOI: https://doi.org/10.14741/ijmcr/v.12.3.15Download PDF
To cover meat needs, the population of Kinshasa can buy frozen chicken meat either in open markets or in frozen meat retail outlets. The microbiological quality of this chicken meat is not well certified before consumption. The objective of this study was to determine the microbiological quality of frozen chicken meat sold in the municipal markets of Kinshasa. A descriptive study was conducted between May 15 and June 16, 2023 among frozen chicken sellers in three markets in Kinshasa. Sixty samples of frozen chicken were purchased randomly from different outlets in the targeted markets and analyzed at the veterinary laboratory using standard microbiological methods. Of the sixty samples of frozen chicken meat taken in the three markets, total germs (93%), fecal coliforms (60%), fecal streptococci (46.6%), Staphylococcus aureus (20%) and yeasts (6.7%) were present in half of the frozen chicken meat samples with
proportions varying depending on the market. In light of these results, we can conclude that frozen chicken meat, sold in the Kinshasa markets, does not offer a sufficient guarantee of safety, particularly with contamination as significant as that found in this study.
Keywords: Hygiene, slaughterhouse, bacteriological analysis, chicken carcasses