Broiler chicken is one type of poultry that is commonly consumed by the people of Indonesia. Not only can it be processed into various types of dishes, broiler chicken also has a lot of meat. However, is there any impact eating broiler chicken for health?
Unlike other types of chicken, broiler chickens can usually be slaughtered when they are about 40 days old. To get the ideal chicken weight, broiler food intake should be focused on providing protein nutrition combined with an artificial lighting system.
Although the broiler chicken maintenance system has been carried out strictly, sometimes the consumption of broiler chickens can have a negative impact on health, especially if the chicken is not processed hygienically.
Consumption Impact Broiler Chicken for Health
Chicken on the market, including broilers, may contain bacteria that can cause disease. A study on the feasibility of chicken meat on the market found that there are at least 6 types of bacteria in broiler chickens, namely:
- Salmonella
- Campylobacter
- Escherichia coli
- Klebsiella pneumonia
- Pseudomonass
- Staphylococcus aureus.
The following are some of the health problems that may occur when consuming chicken, including broilers, which have been contaminated with bacteria:
Infection Salmonella
Bacteria Salmonella generally attacks the human digestive system, especially the intestines, and can cause typhoid fever. This type of bacterial transmission can occur when a person consumes food or drink that has been contaminated with bacteria Salmonella, including broiler chicken that is not kept clean.
Infection Campylobacter
Same as Salmonella, bacterial infection Campylobacter It also occurs in the digestive tract. These bacteria can enter the human body through contaminated food, such as chicken meat that is not processed properly.
Infection Campylobacter characterized by symptoms of bloody diarrhea, fever, abdominal pain, and vomiting.
Food poisoning
Bacteria Escherichia coli is one of the bacteria that can cause a person to experience food poisoning. The spread of this bacterium usually occurs through consumption of contaminated food, including chicken meat.
As an effort to reduce the risk of bacterial contamination, broiler breeders generally use antibiotics. However, the use of antibiotics has the risk of causing bacteria in broiler chickens to become resistant to these types of drugs.
This can make bacterial contamination even more difficult to treat. Moreover, if the bacteria causes infection in humans, it becomes increasingly difficult to treat and can even cause complications.
However, further research is still needed regarding the impact of the use of antibiotics on the consumption of broiler chickens. On the other hand, giving vaccines to animals is still allowed, as long as it is in accordance with recommendations from veterinarians.
Improvements in the quality and cleanliness of the use of cages must also be carried out to minimize the spread of bacteria.
In addition to the risk of bacterial contamination, you should also be more careful and alert if you eat chicken too often. This is because the content of cholesterol and saturated fat in chicken, especially the skin of the chicken.
To work around this, consume lean chicken meat and choose a healthier way of processing, such as boiled, steamed, grilled without oil, or cooked into soup.
Do This When You Want To Eat Chicken
To prevent contamination, the following are some actions you can take when processing chicken meat, including broilers:
- Wash your hands with soap and running water until clean when you want to process chicken meat.
- Separate chicken meat from other foodstuffs, such as vegetables, to prevent the spread of bacteria.
- Use different kitchen utensils to process chicken meat and other foodstuffs.
- Avoid washing raw chicken before cooking, as this can spread bacteria into the chicken.
- Make sure the chicken is cooked at a minimum temperature of 74o C
- Store raw chicken in the freezer (freezer).
- Make sure the plate used to serve cooked chicken is clean.
Given the many menus that use broiler chicken as an ingredient, you must pay attention to the guidelines for processing the meat above. This aims to avoid the dangers of broiler chickens to health.
If after consuming broiler chicken you feel symptoms of fever, stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, immediately consult a doctor. This is important because these symptoms can be a sign of an infection caused by bacteria and need to be treated immediately.
