The Prevalence of Salmonella Isolated from Retail-level Chicken Parts with and without Skin

Introduction: Even though in the United States the prevalence of Salmonella in chicken carcasses has decreased over the years from 16.3% in 2005 to 6.4% in 2011 (USDA/FSIS 2013), there is very limited information available in the published literature about the prevalence of Salmonella in skin-off versus skin-on chicken parts at the retail level.

Purpose: The aim of the present study was to determine the presence of Salmonella in chicken parts with and without skin collected from retail establishments in the metropolitan Atlanta (Georgia) area.

Methods: Retail packs of cut-up chicken parts (breast, thigh and drumstick) were purchased from supermarkets in the Atlanta metro area. Parts were collected from five counties in the metro area with number of samples proportional to the residence population in each county. At the supermarket, pairs of chicken breast packages and thighs (with skin-on and skin-off) were collected. Samples were paired production company and sell-by date.  Skin-on drumstick samples were individually collected. All samples were tested for Salmonella presence using primary and delayed secondary selective enrichment standard methods.

Results: A total of 315 samples of each chicken part were collected and analyzed. Salmonella prevalence in skin-on and skin-off breast was 41.2% and 3.1%, respectively (P < 0.05); whereas, the prevalence in skin-on and skin-off thigh was 28.5%, 19.0%, respectively (P > 0.05).  Salmonella prevalence on skin-on drumsticks was 25.3%.

Significance: Based on these preliminary findings, Salmonella prevalence in skin-on chicken meat parts is higher than skinless parts at the retail level, demonstrating an increased risk to consumer safety.