JBT Marel takes hygienic poultry processing very seriously indeed. How could it not, seeing that the market is overwhelmingly fresh and that European regulations strictly forbid any chemicals being used in the processing of fresh birds? No chlorine may be added to water beyond the level that makes it safe to drink.
The most common bacteria are salmonella and campylobacter, whose levels have remained relatively stable for at least the last ten years after having been brought down radically in previous years. That said, poultry products are still the culprits for most outbreaks of food poisoning. One of the consequences for poultry processors is that, once a flock has tested positive for salmonella, it should be processed at the end of the day or the end of a shift in a multi-shift plant.
Birds should be taken off feed some 8-12 hours before being processed. This is because they will shed less faeces, and their crops will not be full of feed. Both faecal material and crop content are major sources of contamination during processing.
Next, poultry plants should be laid out in a way, which physically separates clean from dirty areas. All plants should have a hazard analysis system in place, so that critical points in the process can be monitored properly.
The ATLAS live bird handling system is designed to bring live birds to the processing plant in the most cost-effective and hygienic way. The AirFlo floors, while giving adequate ventilation, catch droppings from the birds in specially designed channels. Droppings cannot fall on birds in the tier below.
Once empty, the SmartStack trays are washed thoroughly before being returned to the farm to pick up a new load. The washing system focuses especially on the hard‑to‑reach ‘dirt-trap’ areas, although these are virtually absent in the SmartStack tray design.
Immersion scalding is not the cleanest process, as all soiled feathered carcasses share the same water bath, which increases the risk of spreading bacteria from one bird to many others. While multi‑tank water systems already help significantly, JBT Marel has taken a different approach with its non‑immersive AeroScalder concept. The AeroScalder uses saturated hot air to scald products. Not only does this technique save water, a good, sustainable idea in itself, it is also more hygienic in that there is much less risk of cross-contamination.
Potentially contaminating intestines are the first inedible organ to be removed.
Great care is taken with vent drilling. This is one area where JBT Marel benefits from selling to all markets across the globe, as the hygienic regulations in force in the USA are particularly strict in this respect. Faecal contamination is enough to have the affected product declared unfit for human consumption, something that no processor wants.
‘Intelligence’ has been added to the Vent Cutter and Nuova. This benefits most of all the machines’ ability to handle a wide range of weights. It also signals if a unit of the machine is not working as it should, which could endanger hygienic processing.
The digestive tract, if damaged, is obviously a major source of contamination. This is why particular attention must be paid to evisceration, which JBT Marel does. JBT Marel may boast an extremely strong heritage of evisceration systems, with P40, Nu‑Tech and Nuova as legendary names. At the time, predecessor Stork was the first to recognize and address the hygienic dangers of the intestines if not moved away directly from the carcass. That is why Stork’s evisceration systems started to transfer the entire viscera pack to a completely separate line, with the intestines hanging down and away from the edible giblets. Potentially contaminating intestines are the first inedible organ to be removed.
During the primary process, it is recommended to keep products moistened with a thin water film. This not only prevents them from drying out and losing weight, but also prevents bacteria, that are inevitably present on the skin, from attaching. Once attached, they are more difficult to remove.
In the secondary process, the opposite is true for plants using air-chilling and producing fresh poultry. Here, the motto is: the drier the product, the longer the shelf life.
As we have seen, most products in the EU and wider Europe will have been air-chilled and sold fresh. This is not the case in many markets across the globe, where chilling in water is the rule and products must be kept wet throughout the primary and secondary processes. These markets often use chemicals (chlorinated water is used most frequently) to combat possible sources of contamination, a situation not open to most European producers, who supply fresh product where the use of chemicals or the addition of chlorine to already potable water is not allowed. The situation regarding food safety is broadly similar in both situations. That said, in Europe the accent is on a hygienic process, as processors have nowhere to hide. An unhygienic operation is always visible.
By keeping products consistently below 4°C (39.2°F), processing plants can prevent bacteria from growing, and safeguard hygiene as well as product quality. Having chilled down products, whether in water or in air, it is vital that these move through deboning, cutting, and packing operations as smartly as possible, so that they do not pick up temperature. Buffers, also a source of possible microbial buildup, should be avoided at all costs. This is a question of plant layout and, above all, of good discipline.
Every time a food product touches a surface, a critical moment arises. Cell attachment and biofilm formation are always a risk. When selecting food‑contact materials for processing equipment, it is essential to consider microbiological aspects: Should it be plastic or metal? What grade of stainless steel? What surface finish? Many questions must be answered to determine what best supports the sanitary condition of the machine. This places high demands on the materials used, ensuring they do not trap remnants or bacteria in hidden areas where contamination can persist even after cleaning. The design of JBT Marel equipment is therefore always focused on using the most hygienic materials and incorporating sloped surfaces to prevent buildup and support effective cleaning.
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