[fin29]

The new slaughterhouse here plans to use a vinegar bath instead of hot water during processing poultry under state inspection. Has anyone ever heard of this? The slaughterhouse owner claims this is to improve shelf life. All I can say is I don't raise a clean natural bird to then have it dipped in vinegar. :no:

 

[Jena]

i have never heard of this and i wouldn't like it either.

my processor changes his water frequently throughout the day. it would seem that he could use water for your batch at least. i'm thinking you produce quite a few birds at a time, right?

i'd ask if he could do that...offer to come when he's changing his vinegar anyways?

jena

 

[fin29]

I found a website that describes acetic acid as an antilisterial agent. It's just another aspect of big ag BS coming to nip us small producers in the butt. Show me listeria on my chickens and I'll agree to a dip. Until then, dip this... :haha:

 

[Gayle in LA]

Organic acids such as acetic acid (vinegar) are a very NICE new component of some meat processing. It is antibacterial, antifungal, and totally edible..........COOL!!!!! Think: PICKLES. The meat does not contact the acetic acid long enough to pickle it, but the germs on the outside of it get pickled quite nicely. I would much rather my meats be dipped in vinegar than the common alternative, BLEACH..........Yecchhhh!!!

 

[Gayle in LA]

FYI I am a veterinarian with a degree in microbiology also. One of my clients insisted on feeding her cats raw meats, so I said PLEASE at least dip the chicken in vinegar before feeding it to decrease the chance of the poor cats contracting Salmonella or Campylobacter or Shiga-toxigenic E coli. Then I read about how this is all the new rage in meat processing plants now that the corporations are starting to be pestered about the use of bleach (a very nasty toxic chemical) on our food, and I consider it a major step in the right direction.

 

[fin29]

That's good information, Gayle, and I agree with you if the birds are being processed in a way that exposes them to contamination, as in a commercial operation where they're being mechanically gutted and the entrails are often punctured.
Our state inspection laws require that each farmer's birds get a clean ice bath for chilling and the gutting is done by hand. I have no interest in extending the shelf life of my birds. They stay fresh for a week anyway.