Seeing spots: identifying the cause of premature product spoilage

摘要

White spots on breast fillets and boneless thighs can lead to a flood of complaints from retailers and consumers. An indication of premature spoilage, the spots may be caused by bacteria or yeasts, and urgent action is required to identify and eliminate the source. Reentry, a number of American oultry processors have xperienced product recalls due to the presence of white spots (see photo) that appear on boneless, skinless breast fillets or thighs. Often, these spots appear long before the product has reached the end of its expected shelf-life, and can be accompanied by a variety of foul odours described variously as 'sulphur-like', 'sour' or 'putrid'. This problem has caused a great deal of concern because the poultry companies have had difficultyunderstanding why it suddenly appears, how it differs from common product spoilage, factors within the plant that might contribute to the problem, and how tocorrect it.