The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of ionized calcium treatment on total bacterial cross-contamination of chicken carcass surface in the slaughtering process. The growth of Escherichia coli was strongly inhibited in a medium prepared by using a 0.5% ionized calcium solution. The total bacterial cross-contamination of chicken carcass surface and the scalding water was significantly increased as the number of scalding was increased (p<0.05). The total bacterial cross-contamination of chicken carcass surface reached a plateau without a further increase as scalding was performed consecutively for 10 or more times. The total bacterial cross-contamination of the scalding water was significantly increased as the number of scalding was increased (p<0.05). The total bacterial cross-contamination of chicken carcass surface of the chickens raised on a floor type farm was significantly higher than that of the chickens raised in a battery cages (p<0.05). The total bacterial cross-contamination of chicken carcass surface of the chickens raised on a floor type farm was significantly lower in the 0.5% ionized calcium solution treatment group than in the control group (p<0.05).

An experiment was carried out to determine the effect of cooling water treatment with ionized calcium on calcium content, extending the shelf-life and quality of fresh chicken meat in poultry slaughtering process. The subjects were divided into four groups: control (0% without ionized calcium) and treatment groups (0.5, 0.7, 0.9% ionized calcium). The results indicated that the cooling water treatment with ionized calcium exhibited the bacterial counts of 105 CFU/cm2 in surface of chicken meat, and maintained the quality of fresh chicken meat with extending the shelf-life above seven days when compared with that of control group. The results found that the cooling water treatment with ionized calcium could produce the calcium enrichment of chicken meat as nine times higher in calcium content of chicken meat when compared with that of control group. pH, water holding capacity, TBARS (MDA mg/kg) in chicken meat via the cooling water treatment with ionized calcium showed 6.4, above 50, below 0.10, respectively, with preventing the oxidation of unsaturated fatty acids. Lightness (L*) as a chicken meat color, shear force indicated above 60, below 1.70 kg/0.5 inch2, respectively.