Poultry Processing: Protecting Quality

Application and Parameters

Poultry processing is the preparation of meat from various types of fowl, preparing it through a process to ensure it is ready for consumption by humans.

Poultry processing involves multiple stages such as scalding, chilling, washing, and deboning each of which includes critical control points where effective disinfection and sanitisation are essential to ensure food safety.

The approach to disinfection varies by region or country. For example, in the United States, poultry is typically disinfected using treated wash water to directly clean the meat. In contrast, the United Kingdom avoids direct disinfection of the poultry itself, instead, the focus is on sanitising equipment and surfaces to prevent bacterial contamination and growth.

During the sanitising of poultry or equipment, it’s crucial to maintain the right concentration of disinfection to effectively prevent microbial contamination and growth. Typical disinfection parameters used include:

Peracetic Acid (PAA)
Clorine Dioxide (CDX)

Production Process and Need for Testing  

Washing can occur at various stages of the production cycle and depending on the regulations of each country depends on the way testing takes place. Most processing plants apply PAA during equipment spraying and/or carcass washing, reprocessing, immersion chilling and post-chill treatment. Tests are carried out throughout the day at multiple critical control points (CCP’s)

Regular testing is essential in poultry processing to ensure that disinfectants are applied at the correct concentration strong enough to eliminate harmful pathogens, yet safe enough to avoid damaging equipment or compromising food safety.

Without consistent testing, under-dosing can leave harmful bacteria behind, increasing the risk of foodborne illness and potential product recalls. Over-dosing, meanwhile, can lead to equipment corrosion, non-compliance with safety standards, and unnecessary chemical exposure.

Regular and accurate testing is not just a regulatory requirement it’s a proactive measure that protects consumers, ensures compliance, and safeguards the operational and reputational integrity of poultry processors.

Solution: Kemio Disinfection

Kemio Disinfection is a next-generation digital testing platform designed to verify disinfectant levels quickly, accurately, and reliably. Kemio offers a smarter, more reliable alternative to traditional disinfection testing methods like colorimetric kits or test strips, which are often prone to human error, subjective interpretation, and interference from sample conditions. It delivers accuracy, simplicity and durability empowering food safety teams to act with confidence and efficiency.

Accuracy: Advanced electrochemical sensing provides precise, repeatable results—unaffected by water color, turbidity, or particulates.

Simplicity: Intuitive digital interface with step-by-step guidance and clear pass/fail results reduces training time and minimizes user error.

Durability: Rugged, IP67-rated waterproof design ensures reliable performance in demanding food production and field environments.

How Does Kemio Support Post Harvest Producers?

Product Quality: Reliable and repeatable results ensure consistent disinfection across all equipment and product, minimising the risk of contamination.

Optimised Chemical Usage: Real time feedback on PAA levels optimises chemical usage preventing overdosing and wastage.

Enhanced Food Safety and Compliance: Consistent results in clear to turbid and particle-rich water samples, ensures compliance with regulations mitigating any costly incidents, protecting the bottom line and brand integrity.