Association between animal welfare indicators and microbiological quality of beef carcasses, including Salmonella spp., from a slaughterhouse in Ecuador (original) (raw)
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Microbiological Testing for the Proper Assessment of the Hygiene Status of Beef Carcasses
Microorganisms, 2019
Microbiological testing is an important quality management tool in the food industry. In this study, the hygiene status of beef carcasses sampled in eight Brazilian slaughterhouses was assessed by enumeration of different hygiene indicator microorganisms, and a model to establish potential associations among these counts was proposed. The carcasses (n = 464) were surface sampled at four slaughtering steps (step 1: Hide after bleeding; step 2: Carcass after hide removal; step 3: Carcass after evisceration; step 4: Carcass after end washing) and subjected to a counting of mesophilic aerobes (MA), Enterobacteriaceae (EB), total coliforms (TC), and Escherichia coli (EC) using Petrifilm™ plates. Among the sampled beef carcasses (step 4), 32 (6.9%) and 71 (15.3%) presented counts above the microbiological criteria established by (EC) No. 1441/2007 for MA and EB, respectively. Thus, indicating that improvements in slaughter hygiene and a review of process controls are demanded in some of t...
Research in Microbiology, 2005
The aim of this research was to evaluate the effectiveness of excision versus swabbing as methods for the assessment of bovine and ovine carcass hygiene. Microbiological evaluation of bovine and ovine carcasses was performed by obtaining total viable counts (TVCs) and total Enterobacteriaceae counts (TECs) using excision and a swab (polyurethane) sampling method. Four anatomical locations were sampled on 30 bovine and 30 ovine carcasses, processed in four small (<10 animals per week) abattoirs. Excision and swab TVC were statistically similar (P < 0.05) at all sites. The corresponding TECs were also statistically the same (P < 0.05). Swabbing with the polyurethane sponge was therefore as effective as excision sampling for the determination of TVCs and TECs on bovine and ovine carcasses and may be used instead of excision sampling when assessing bovine and ovine carcass hygiene as per 2001/471/EC.
Food Control, 2014
During validation and verification of the system for the proper implementation of HACCP principles, it is essential to rely on microbiological data. Considerable science research has been carried out during the last twenty years on sampling and testing of carcasses for hygiene criteria. This includes the preferable indicator microorganisms to be used, in order to indicate the general hygiene of slaughtering procedures, the evaluation of microbiological data gathered and the sampling methods. Furthermore, European Union (EU) and the United States have adopted the procedures for HACCP validation and verification in their legislation. The aim of this review is to demonstrate the relevant modern trends in this field of food science. In conclusion, microbiological data based on the indicators should be interpreted only to assess general trends in the hygiene process of the operator in order to take corrective action. Microbiological results, obtained only at the end of the slaughtering process, do not provide information on the cause of the problem. Therefore, 'process-based' microbiological criteria which are based on values measured at various stages of the process, including final carcass values, should be used. Finally, in order to implement an adequate monitoring system, non-destructive techniques of carcass sampling could be used instead of excision. The microbial recovery may be lower, but it is proportional to the excision recovery and therefore, non-destructive techniques, like swabbing with sponges, could be a practical sampling method for the estimation of indicators during the slaughtering procedure and hygiene evaluation.
International Journal of Scientific Reports, 2015
INTRODUCTION Contamination of foods from animal sources, mainly meat and meat products are responsible for 28% of cases of foodborne infections (TIAC). 1 Continuation of the problem is amply demonstrated in recent years by monitoring studies conducted on meat, for germs such as Escherichia coli O157: H7, Salmonella spp., Campylobacter spp. and Yersinia enterocolitica. 2 In addition, slaughterhouse is one of the major critical points in meat hygiene with slaughtering being the stage ABSTRACT Background: Slaughterhouse is one of the major critical points in meat hygiene with slaughtering being the stage of occurrence of most contamination risks. Methods: This study aimed to assess the microbiological quality of cattle carcasses in the slaughterhouses of Cotonou/Porto-Novo. Samples were collected by excision from four parts on each carcass (neck, shoulder, flank and thigh). A total of eighty (80) samples from twenty (20) carcasses were analysed. Bacteriological analysis was achieved according to APC. ISO 4833: 2003; ISO 21528-2 and ISO 6579: 2002 norms, respectively for evaluate the aerobic plate count, enteric bacteria count, and qualitative detection of Salmonella. Results: Results varied according to carcass parts, with no significant difference between the bacterial loads of these parts regarding the APC. However, a significant difference was observed between the load in enteric bacteria between the neck and the thigh. With respect to EC regulations (N° 2073/2005), the thigh is the most contaminated part with 100% unsatisfactory results for APC, as well as, enteric bacteria count together with high contamination by Salmonella (detected in 75% of thigh samples). Then following the shoulder, showing 100% unsatisfactory results for APC and enteric bacterial load with presence of Salmonella in 55% of samples. Conclusions: Although being the most contaminated site, the inner part of the thigh had the lowest contamination level with respect to APC.
Journal of Food Safety, 2016
The study was conducted to determine the level of Salmonella, Escherichia coli, Enterobacteriaceae and aerobic colony counts (ACCs) contamination in beef carcass, equipment, slaughtermen hands and water at selected stages in abattoirs. Cattle carcasses were sampled at four sites (rump, neck, flank and brisket) from a low throughput (LTA) (n 5 240) and high throughput (HTA) (n 5 384) abattoirs. Using conventional biochemical tests, HTA yielded significantly higher ACC (5.2 log CFU/cm 2), E. coli (2.6 log CFU/cm 2) and Enterobacteriaceae (2.9 log CFU/cm 2) mean scores after skinning and evisceration. Washing and chilling did not cause any significant (P > 0.05) changes in bacterial counts. This implies use of non-potable water and poor chilling methods. Salmonella was not detected on all sampled carcasses. Overall, slaughtermen hands and equipment in the dirty area yielded more bacterial counts compared to clean area from both abattoirs. Therefore, these findings show that the equipment, slaughtermen hands and water are sources of contamination during the slaughter process. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS Microbiological analyses of beef slaughtering process will help identify possible modes of contamination. This will help the responsible authorities to take appropriate steps to improve meat safety in abattoirs. Currently,
Macedonian Veterinary Review, 2022
This study aimed to investigate the effects of cleanliness scoring on the microbiological load of hide and the final contamination of cattle carcasses. Fifty cattle were classified from 1 (clean and dry) to 5 (filthy and wet). Aerobic colony count (ACC) and counts of Enterobacteriaceae (EC) and E. coli (ECC) were determined on the brisket, abdominal midline, rump, groin sites of the hides, and brisket, flank, groin, and hock of the carcasses. On hides, ACC ranged from 3.15±0.13 log cfu/cm2 in category 1 to 8.14±0.21 log cfu/cm2 in category 5. EC and ECC were ranging between 1.13±0.07 and 2.80±0.09 log cfu/cm2, and 1.21±0.05 and 2.15±0.07 log cfu/cm2, respectively. While the mean ACC on the carcasses ranged between 2.18±0.07 and 2.63±0.05 log cfu/cm2 irrespective of the categories, Enterobacteriaceae and E. coli could not be counted due to the detection limits. It was concluded that although the level of bacterial load increased significantly (P<0.001) with the increasing cleanlin...
International journal of food science, 2022
According to the Moroccan Court of Auditors, the meats are prepared in slaughterhouses that do not meet the basic conditions required by Moroccan standards. This survey is being conducted to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of handlers regarding the salubrity and hygiene of meat and to evaluate the bacteriological load of work surfaces in a slaughterhouse located in the Marrakech region. A total of 100 people working at the slaughterhouse participated in the study. The average values concerning the attitude and practice of the carcass handlers were, respectively, very satisfactory (65.7%) and acceptable (53.44%), while the average value of knowledge was generally low (39%). Bacterial load was assessed by the serial dilution method using the standard procedure. Seventy samples were taken from the hands of manipulators, knives, clothes, hooks, door handles, floor, and walls over an area of between 20 and 100 cm 2. The total number of aerobic mesophiles (TAVCs), Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Salmonella spp was determined for each sample. Escherichia coli was the predominant isolate (42%), while Salmonella spp and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were the least bacterial isolates with 16% and 14%, respectively. Walls and knives were the most contaminated by E. coli at 90%. This survey reveals the importance of developing formal training for all slaughterhouse handlers regarding meat hygiene and safety during carcass processing to develop their knowledge and practices. Bacteriological results indicate a need to improve the available slaughter facilities and develop an appropriate slaughter process strategy to minimize the risk of carcass contamination.