This study was carried out to investigate the effect of using chitosan and alginate edible coats on the bacteriological quality of chicken drumsticks. Therefore, chicken drumsticks samples were collected from poultry processing plant, transferred immediately to food hygiene and control laboratory then coated with chitosan (2%) and alginate (2%) by dipping for 30
seconds while control uncoated samples were dipped into DW (C) for 30 seconds. All coated and control uncoated chicken drumsticks were stored in freezing storage at -18 ºC for 3 months and exposed to bacteriological examination at zero time (the first day of coating of the samples) and during the freezing storage for enumeration of total aerobic mesophilic bacterial
counts, total aerobic psychrotrophic bacterial counts, S. aureus and Enterobacteriaceae counts. The results revealed that significant (P<0.05) reduction of all investigated bacterial counts in all chitosan and alginate coated chicken drumsticks as compared with the control uncoated samples. Moreover, the significant reduction rate of the bacterial counts were observed in chitosan coated chicken drumstick as compared with alginate coated chicken drumstick especially in total aerobic mesophilic bacterial counts at zero time, 1st and 2nd month of examination, total aerobic psychrotrophic bacterial counts during the first month of examination and S. aureus at zero time of examination and during freezing storage at -18 ºC
for 3 months while only at 3rd month of examination in Enterobacteriaceae counts. Therefore, using of chitosan 2% or alginate 2% can provide a relevant antimicrobial activity which improve the stability of fresh poultry meat and could solve some quality and safety issues in poultry meat processing plant