Thesis (M.Sc.) - Cairo University - Faculty of Veterinary Medicine - Department of Food Hygiene and Control

Ninety samples of traditional Egyptian chicken luncheon sausage produced by six different meat processing plants (Fifteen samples each) were collected from different production lots within one month after processing from the supermarkets in giza and Cairo. These samples were subjected to sensory investigation, determination of deterioration criteria, bacteriological examination as well as detection of non-meat tissues by histological examination to assure their quality and safety. The obtained results revealed that all samples had deteriorated sensory attributes, high TBA and pH value. While, result of bacteriological examination showed that all chicken luncheon sausages samples were highly contaminated with aerobic and anaerobic bacteria counts. This indicates that production, handling and processing of the examined samples were performed under neglected sanitary measures, post processing contamination and bad storage of this product. However, the examined chicken luncheon sausages were free from E. coli and Salmonella. The results of histological examination showed that low muscular tissues and high fat content were evident in all samples. Moreover, bone particles, cartilage particles, skin tissue with feather and other non meat tissue such as digestive tract were also observed. Therefore, most of the investigated chicken luncheon sausages were not copy with the Egyptian standard specifications for chicken luncheon sausage

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