| Summary: | A bio-mapping study was conducted with the aim of creating a microbiological baseline on indicator organisms and pathogens in commercial broiler processing facilities located in a country in South America. Whole chicken carcass and wing rinses were collected from five stages of the poultry processing line: live receiving (LR), rehanger (R), post-evisceration (PE), post-chilling (PC), and wings (W). Rinses (<i>n</i> = 150) were enumerated using the MicroSnap™ system for total viable counts (TVC) and Enterobacteriaceae (EB), while the BAX<sup>®</sup>-System-SalQuant<sup>®</sup> and BAX<sup>®</sup>-System-CampyQuant™ were used for <i>Salmonella</i> and <i>Campylobacter</i>, respectively. TVC and EB were significantly different between stages at the processing line (<i>p</i> < 0.01). There was a significant reduction from LR to PC for both microbial indicators. TVC and EB counts increased significantly from PC to W. <i>Salmonella</i> counts at PC were significantly different from the other stages at the processing line (<i>p</i> = 0.03). <i>Campylobacter</i> counts were significantly higher than the other stages at PC (<i>p</i> < 0.01). The development of bio-mapping baselines with microbial indicators showed consistent reduction up to the post-chilling stage, followed by an increase at the wings sampling location. The quantification of pathogens demonstrates that prevalence analysis as a sole measurement of food safety is not sufficient to evaluate the performance of processing operations and sanitary dressing procedures in commercial processing facilities.
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