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Chlorination For Poultry And MeatProcessingIntroductionResearch and experience haveestablished that quality of foodproducts depends directly upon thesanitary practices of a processingplant. Products that have beenexcessively contaminated areconsidered to be of a low sanitaryquality, and pose a health hazard.Superior sanitary control results inproducts that are cleaner, morehealthful, look better, have a longershelf life and greater selling potential.Since much of the poultry and meatprocessing involves moving theproduct on conveyers and humancontact, provisions must be made tokeep both the equipment andpersonnel sanitized.Chlorine is one of the most widelyused chemicals for sanitation in thefood processing industry. Advantagesof using chlorine include:

Kills BacteriaControls Slime and AlgaeIncreases Product Shelf LifeEliminates Costly Hand CleaningLabor and MaterialsTreats Water for Sterilization andWashdownTreats Chilling WaterTreats Plant Wastes

Chlorine is available in several forms:gas, liquid, and powder. The choice isusually dependent upon the volume ofwater to be treated, the amount ofdisinfection required, and the area inwhich the chlorine will be used.Chlorine gas is considered the bestchoice where large volumes of waterare to be chlorinated at high levels (4-5 ppm). Chlorine gas is pure 100%available chlorine, it lowers the pHslightly, and is easy to control andapply. Economically, it is the leastexpensive source on the basis ofavailable chlorine.Hypochlorites (calcium and sodium)are second in choice becausechemical by-products such ascalcium chloride and sodium chloridemay have an adverse effect on thequality of the product. The chemicaldosage is also difficult to control.Hypochlorites raise the pH of thewater, which in hard water, may cause

deposits on equipment. Hypochloritesare more sensitive to organic matter inwater resulting in a faster loss ofgermicidal power. Being unstable,hypochlorites are difficult to store anddeterioration results during storage.Based on the available chlorinecontent, hypochlorite is expensive.Hypochlorites are a good choice,however, when only small amountsare needed, such as localizedgermicidal application for clean-upand preventing slime formation onbelts and other equipment.Poultry ProcessingA typical poultry processingoperation, shown in Figure 1,indicates areas requiring chlorination.The birds are first hung on aconveyer or line. The slaughteredbirds pass through a tunnel to givesufficient time for the blood tocompletely drain. The tunnels arecontinuously washed with chlorinatedwater to maintain bacteria counts atacceptable levels.The birds then enter a hot waterscald tank made up of troughs andflumes to keep the birds totallysubmerged. The birds then passthrough a series of picking orroughing machines which knock offmost of the feathers, then on to thepinning area, where the remainingfeathers are removed by hand.Pinners wash their hands withchlorinated water to reduce odorsand bacteria count. After pinning, thebirds go through a singer to removethe remainder of hair and feathers.The birds are then conveyed to theoutside washer which consists of aseries of water sprays and is used towash all foreign material from thecarcass. Next, is the removal ofsome internal organs. Each bird isthen inspected for signs of disease.Following inspection, the giblets(heart, liver, and gizzard) areremoved and sent through for moreprocessing. The remaining organs aresent to waste.

An inside-outside washer cleans anddisinfects the inside of the carcasswith a flowing stream of chlorinatedwater and the outside with chlorinatedwater sprays. Meanwhile, the gibletsare trimmed and washed in a flowingstream of chlorinated water, packed ina giblet bag and returned to the bodycavity.The whole bird is now removed fromthe conveyer, weighed and classified.The birds are placed in chill tanks for3 to 6 hours, to quickly bring theirinternal temperature to between 35°and 38° F (2° and 3°C).The chilled birds are removed fromthe chill tank and hung on a dryingconveyer, then ice packed. Thecontainer is sealed and will stay coldfor 2 or 3 days during shipment.In some plants, the birds are furtherprocessed by being cut up into parts.Parts are packaged and shippedfrozen or ice-packed.Meat ProcessingMeat and poultry processing issimilar. After being slaughtered, thecarcasses are hung and sprayed withchlorinated water. When the hide hasbeen removed, the carcass is againwashed with chlorinated water toeliminate any new bacteria that maybe present.As the carcasses are butchered, themeat is transported on conveyerbelts. The belts are an ideal breedingground for bacteria and requirecontinuous washing with a highlyconcentrated chlorine solution. Themeat may be further processed orcooked, depending upon the finalend product, or be shipped in bulk toother processing plants.Typical Chlorination Rates: Belt Washing 50 ppm

Washdown Hoses 50 ppmHand Washers 5-10 ppmFlushing Troughs 5-10 ppm

Carcass Spray Washers or Dips 50-100 ppm

Final Chilling 5-10 ppm

CAPITAL CONTROLS

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SummaryCapital Controls Company can provideseveral equipment options fromindividual components to a completesystem. In addition to gaschlorination, Capital Controls candesign a disinfection system using

ultraviolet light or chlorine dioxide. Toensure process and discharge waterquality, Capital Controls offersinstruments for chlorine residual, pH/ORP, Temperature, Conductivity, andDissolved Oxygen monitoring.

Figure 1 - Typical Poultry Process

For personnel protection, CapitalControls offers a complete line ofchlorine, and other type of gasdetectors.

Represented by:Design improvements may be made without notice.

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CAPITAL CONTROLSSevern Trent Water Purification, Inc.

3000 Advance Lane Colmar, PA 18915Tel: 215-997-4000 • Fax: 215-997-4062

Web: www.severntrentservices.comE-mail: marketing@severntrentservices.com

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