The significance of clean and dirty animals for bacterial dynamics along the beef chain

Hauge, Sigrun J.; Nesbakken, Truls; Moen, Birgitte; Røtterud, Ole-Johan; Dommersnes, Sissel; Nesteng, Ole; Østensvik, Øyvin; Alvseike, Ole

doi:10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2015.07.026

Cited by 10 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 28 publications

(33 reference statements)

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“…Hide-to-carcasses microbial cross-contamination can occur under commercial conditions [27,28,29,30]. However, [Hauge, et al [31]] suggested that higher loads of MA and EB found in dirty cattle hides does not impact the hygienic quality of the carcasses, resulting in carcasses with the same quality of those obtained from animals with clean hides. Anyway, it is important to clarify that carcasses contamination may be influenced by other factors, such as design of each facility and training of employees.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microbiological Testing for the Proper Assessment of the Hygiene Status of Beef Carcasses

et al. 2019

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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 the studied slaughterhouses. The log count differences of EC, TC, and EB from MA were considered as response variables as a function of the slaughtering steps. Differential log counts changed consistently with the steps. The measurements, including the patterns in their inherently random variability, were fairly predictable from steps 1 and 4. The results indicated that differential log counts for TC and EC are not relevant, as their concentrations and random pattern can be inferred from counts of MA and EB. The proposed model can be used as a valuable tool for the design and adoption of feasible quality control programs in beef industries. The adoption of such a tool should have a positive contribution on consumers’ health and enhance product quality.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microbiological Testing for the Proper Assessment of the Hygiene Status of Beef Carcasses

et al. 2019

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“…Monitoring of the total bacterial counts and Enterobacteriaceae is required at slaughterhouses in the EU according to Commission Regulation (EC) 2073/2005. The counts of aerobic bacteria, Enterobacteriaceae and E. coli on the carcasses vary between slaughterhouses, depending on animals’ cleanliness, slaughter procedures (such as decontamination) and other factors, and are generally higher than those found in this study [ 54 , 56 , 57 ]. According to the EU requirements specified in Commission Regulation (EC) 2073/2005, daily means of less than 3.5 log CFU/cm 2 of total aerobic bacteria and 1.5 log CFU/cm 2 of Enterobacteriaceae demonstrate a satisfactory hygienic status of cattle carcasses.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 82%

Animal Welfare and Food Safety When Slaughtering Cattle Using the Gunshot Method

Hultgren

Schiffer

Babol

et al. 2022

Animals

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Transporting cattle from farm to slaughterhouse is often stressful for the animal, which can impair the meat quality. With the gunshot method, the animal is stunned with a rifle shot while together with familiar herd members in their home environment, exsanguinated and transported to a nearby slaughterhouse. Aiming to assess the consequences for animal welfare and food safety, 20 Hereford steers aged 18–54 months were shot with .22 Magnum ammunition from an elevated position and distance of 6–12 m. Each time, only one out of four to seven animals in a 16 × 10 m corral was shot. Dressing was done on farm. Based on the animals’ behaviour and blood concentrations of cortisol, glucose and lactate, stress levels before shooting were low. Eleven animals were deeply stunned, the consciousness of seven others was ambiguous, and two were poorly stunned. Two animals were reshot. The bleed-out was satisfactory for all animals, and little or no faecal contamination was found on the carcasses. We conclude that the gunshot method is applicable to large beef steers while maintaining a satisfactory level of animal welfare and food safety, provided that the necessary conditions can be attained.

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“…Ahmad et al (2013) sampled 100 cm 2 of the forequarter and hindquarter of the beef carcasses and reported an APC value of 2.8 log. Hauge et al (2015) reported 4.3 to 4.5 log after 24-h chilling. However, these authors did not use spray chilling with antimicrobials.…”

Section: Distribution Of 24-h Marbling Score and Quality Grade And Fa...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Chilling Duration on Marbling Score of Beef Carcasses

Hanes

Coatney

Rivera

et al. 2022

Meat and Muscle Biology

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Two hundred and nine beef carcasses (BW of 361 ± 53 kg) from crossbred, grain-finished cattle were harvested in a commercial abattoir and subjected to a 96-h spray chilling treatment, conducted at 0 to 3°C in a commercial hot box with a wind speed of 3.1 m/s and 153-lux of fluorescent light. At the 24, 48, 72, and 96 h points of the treatment, the carcasses were analyzed for fatty acid composition, marbling score, core temperature (n = 1), pH, shrinkage, color, and aerobic plate count (n = 50). Carcasses reached 3ºC after 12 to 16 h of chilling. There were minimal changes in shrinkage among time point (-0.4 to 1.2%; P ≤ 0.002), pH (5.56 to 5.69; P ≤ 0.001), and aerobic plate count (APC) (0.1 to 0.7 log; P ˂ 0.001). Initial 24-h grading revealed a grade composition of 21.1% Slight (SL, n = 44), 34.0% Small (SM, n = 71), 17.2% Modest (MT, n = 37), 17.7% Moderate (MD, n = 36), and 10.1% Slightly Abundant (SA, n = 21). With marbling score in numeric values between 200 (Practically Devoid00) and 1100 (Abundant00), carcasses that had SM or greater marbling score at 24 h experienced a deduction of 34 to 60 points by the 96th hour of spray chilling (P ≤ 0.042). Comparatively, the marbling scores of the SL carcasses increased from 442 points at 24 h to 469 points at 96 h. Moreover, SL carcasses had a greater percentage of polyunsaturated fats (PUFA) (P < 0.001). Results indicate that spray chilling for 96 h may slightly increase the marbling score of USDA Select, but has minimal impacts on marbling score of greater USDA quality grades.

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The significance of clean and dirty animals for bacterial dynamics along the beef chain

Cited by 10 publications

References 28 publications

Microbiological Testing for the Proper Assessment of the Hygiene Status of Beef Carcasses

Microbiological Testing for the Proper Assessment of the Hygiene Status of Beef Carcasses

Animal Welfare and Food Safety When Slaughtering Cattle Using the Gunshot Method

Effects of Chilling Duration on Marbling Score of Beef Carcasses

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