Why can water chilling sometimes leave poultry with a lower bacterial load than air chilling?

Water chilling can result in a lower overall bacterial load on poultry compared to air chilling because the process involves the use of water that effectively washes and discards many pathogens from the carcass.1

In contrast, while air chilling prevents cross-contamination between different birds, it does not remove existing bacteria; if a single bird carries a high number of pathogens, that count remains on the carcass throughout the process. In water chilling systems, the use of a continuous, regulated overflow of water helps to dilute the microorganisms washed off the birds, which further aids in preventing recontamination during the chilling stage.12