Abstract: The effect of commercial processing on the natural microflora of chilled goose was studied. Common spoilage bacteria and pathogenic bacteria from workers’ hands, chopping boards, cutting tools, goose carcasses and workshop air environments and chilling water were cultured by traditional methods and counted. Meanwhile, changes in aerobic plate count during refrigerated storage were explored. Although air, chilling water and various contact surfaces were all potential sources of bacterial contamination for chilled goose, in general, various bacterial contaminants showed a downward trend during the whole processing process. Bacterial contamination of goose carcasses was maximized during the stage of evisceration but effectively reduced by spray rinsing and pre-chilling. The second stage of pre-chilling and packaging were main causes of secondary contamination of goose carcasses and as a result, the shelf life of chilled goose spoiled was only 7—9 days during refrigerated storage.

Key words: chilled goose, processing, microbial contamination, microflora changes