Culture-Independent Evaluation of Bacterial Contamination Patterns on Pig Carcasses at a Commercial Slaughter Facility

2019 ◽  
Vol 82 (10) ◽  
pp. 1677-1682 ◽  
Author(s):  
BENJAMIN ZWIRZITZ ◽  
STEFANIE U. WETZELS ◽  
ISABEL RABANSER ◽  
SARAH THALGUTER ◽  
MONIKA DZIECIOL ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bacterial Cell ◽  
Bacterial Load ◽  
Control Point ◽  
Fold Change ◽  
Critical Control Point ◽  
Meat Spoilage ◽  
Pseudomonas Species ◽  
Pig Carcasses ◽  
Water Amount ◽  
Total Bacteria

ABSTRACT Traditionally, the microbiological status of meat is determined by culture-based techniques, although many bacteria are not able to grow on conventional media. The aim of this study was to obtain quantitative data on total bacterial cell equivalents, as well as taxa-specific abundances, on carcass surfaces during pig slaughter using quantitative real-time PCR. We evaluated microbial contamination patterns of total bacteria, Campylobacter, Escherichia coli, Lactobacillus group, Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella, and Pseudomonas species throughout slaughtering and on different carcass areas. In addition, we compared contamination levels of breeding sow carcasses with fattening pig carcasses, and we assessed the efficacy of carcass polishing machines under two water amount conditions. Our results demonstrate that relevant meat-spoilage organisms show similar contamination patterns to total bacteria. The highest bacterial load was detected in the stunning chute (4.08 × 105 bacterial cell equivalents per cm2) but was reduced by 3 log levels after singeing and polishing (P < 0.001). It increased again significantly by a 4.73-fold change until the classification step. Levels of Campylobacter, Lactobacillus, and Pseudomonas species and of E. coli followed a similar trend but varied between 0 and 2.49 × 104 bacterial cell equivalents per cm2. Microbial levels did not vary significantly between sampled carcass areas for any analyzed taxa. Running the polishing machine with a low water amount proved to be less prone to microbial recontamination compared with a high water amount (17.07-fold change, P = 0.024). In the studied slaughterhouse, slaughter of breeding sows did not produce microbiologically safe meat products (>104 cells per cm2) and the implementation of specific hazard analysis critical control point systems for the slaughter of breeding sows should be considered. A larger cohort from different abattoirs is needed to confirm our results and determine whether this is universally valid.

Assessing the Hygiene of Pig Carcasses Using Whole-Body Carcass Swabs Compared with the Four-Site Method in EC Decision 471

2007 ◽  
Vol 70 (2) ◽  
pp. 432-439 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. B. O'BRIEN ◽  
M. LENAHAN ◽  
T. SWEENEY ◽  
J. J. SHERIDAN
Keyword(s):  
Process Control ◽  
Hazard Analysis ◽  
Control Point ◽  
Whole Body ◽  
Critical Control Point ◽  
Two Samples ◽  
Haccp System ◽  
Microbiological Criteria ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Pig Carcasses

An investigation was carried out in a pig abattoir to determine the microbiological status of carcasses being produced after slaughter and dressing. The carcasses were sampled in accordance with EC Decision 471 in relation to the application of hazard analysis critical control point (HACCP) criteria to the slaughter of animals. In this regard, four sites on the animals were examined on five consecutive carcasses during each of 10 visits for the presence of total viable counts and Enterobacteriaceae. A comparison of the EC four-site method, with a whole-body swab technique, as a means of measuring carcass contamination found that the two methods gave significantly different results for both groups of organisms. A comparison of the mean of the individual data from the four sites with the data from the pooled samples revealed that there was a poor relationship between the two. Samples may be taken by excision or swabbing and allocated to three categories of process control, which, in turn, are based on microbiological criteria that are different, depending on whether sampling is by excision or swabbing. The influence of these changes in microbiological criteria is discussed in relation to the categorization of samples as acceptable, marginal, or unacceptable and the influence this has on process control. Finally, the proposed introduction of Salmonella as a safety indicator in the EC HACCP system is discussed.

Implementation of Compulsory Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point System and Its Effect on Concentrations of Carcass and Environmental Surface Bacterial Indicators in United Kingdom Red Meat Slaughterhouses

2007 ◽  
Vol 70 (7) ◽  
pp. 1633-1639 ◽  
Author(s):  
MICHAEL L. HUTCHISON ◽  
D. JOHN I. THOMAS ◽  
ALISON H. SMALL ◽  
SAVA BUNCIC ◽  
MARY HOWELL
Keyword(s):  
Hazard Analysis ◽  
Control Point ◽  
Late Summer ◽  
Point System ◽  
Test Results ◽  
Indicator Organisms ◽  
Microbiological Test ◽  
Critical Control Point ◽  
Environmental Test ◽  
Pig Carcasses

Statutory microbiological test results were collected from British meat plants over a 4-year period from June 2002 to May 2006. A total of 49,074 carcass test results from 19,409 cattle, 14,706 sheep, and 14,959 pig swabs and 95,179 environmental test results from surface swabs were obtained. These test results were donated by 94 slaughterhouses, which process about two thirds of the British national annual throughput of cattle, sheep, and pig carcasses. The data were collectively analyzed to determine any historical trends for numbers of total aerobes and Enterobacteriaceae. Significant reductions were observed in the numbers of indicator organisms on carcasses for all three species between 2002 and 2006. Reductions were also observed for numbers of aerobes on environmental and food contact surfaces. There were seasonal differences in bacterial numbers isolated from carcasses. Cattle and sheep carcasses had significantly higher numbers of total aerobes and Enterobacteriaceae in late summer and early autumn, whereas numbers of total aerobes on pig carcasses were higher in winter. Bacterial numbers on environmental surfaces were not influenced by the month that the swab samples were collected. Possible reasons for the observed reductions in bacterial numbers on carcasses and surfaces and the implications for carcass testing for process control purposes are discussed.

Microbiological Contamination of Pig Carcasses at Different Stages of Slaughter in Two European Union–Approved Abattoirs

2006 ◽  
Vol 69 (11) ◽  
pp. 2568-2575 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. SPESCHA ◽  
R. STEPHAN ◽  
C. ZWEIFEL
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Hazard Analysis ◽  
Control Point ◽  
Baseline Data ◽  
Microbiological Contamination ◽  
Site Specific ◽  
Critical Control Point ◽  
Haccp System ◽  
Viable Bacteria ◽  
Pig Carcasses

At sequential steps of slaughter (scalding, dehairing, singeing, polishing, trimming, washing, and chilling), 200 pig carcasses from two abattoirs were examined for total viable bacteria count (TVC) and the presence of Enterobacteriaceae and coagulase-positive Staphylococcus (CPS) by the wet-dry double-swab technique at the neck, belly, back, and ham. Before scalding, mean TVCs ranged from 5.0 to 6.0 log CFU cm32, and Enterobacteriaceae and CPS were detected on all carcasses. At abattoir A, mean TVCs and the percentage of Enterobacteriaceae-positive carcasses were reduced (P < 0.05) after scalding (1.9 log CFU cm−2 and 12%, respectively), singeing (1.9 log CFU cm−2 and 66%, respectively), and blast chilling (2.3 log CFU cm−2 and 17%, respectively) and increased (P < 0.05) after dehairing (3.4 log CFU cm−2 and 100%, respectively) and polishing (2.9 log CFU cm−2). The proportion of CPS-positive samples decreased to ≤10% after scalding and remained at this level. At abattoir B, mean TVCs and the percentages of Enterobacteriaceae- and CPS-positive carcasses were reduced (P < 0.05) after scalding (2.4 log CFU cm−2 and 29 and 20%, respectively), polishing (3.7 log CFU cm−2), and chilling (2.6 log CFU cm−2 and 55 and 77%, respectively) and increased (P < 0.05) after the combined dehairing-singeing (4.7 log CFU cm−2 and 97 and 100%, respectively). Among sites, the neck tended to yield higher levels of contamination from trimming to chilling at both abattoirs (P < 0.05). Consequently, scalding, singeing, and chilling may be integrated in a hazard analysis critical control point (HACCP) system for pig slaughter. As indicated by the higher levels of contamination on carcasses after dehairing-singeing and the following stages at abattoir B, each abattoir should develop its own baseline data and should customize HACCP systems to match process- and site-specific circumstances.

scholarly journals Seaweed aquaculture: a preliminary assessment of biosecurity measures for controlling the ice-ice syndrome and pest outbreaks of a Kappaphycus farm

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cicilia S. B. Kambey ◽  
Iona Campbell ◽  
Elizabeth J. Cottier-Cook ◽  
Adibi R. M. Nor ◽  
Azhar Kassim ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hazard Analysis ◽  
Kappaphycus Alvarezii ◽  
Control Point ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Seaweed Aquaculture ◽  
Critical Control Point ◽  
Management Measures ◽  
Long Line ◽  
Pest Outbreaks ◽  
The Impact

AbstractThe application of biosecurity in seaweed aquaculture plays an important role in reducing the impact of disease and pest outbreaks. The continuous occurrence of seaweed pests including the macroalgal epiphytes, epi-endophytic filamentous algae and biofilms on Kappaphycus farms may also potentially induce further incidences of the ice-ice syndrome. In this study, on-farm biosecurity management measures were tested on the commercially grown seaweeds Kappaphycus malesianus and Kappaphycus alvarezii during peak ice-ice season at Gallam-Gallam Village, Sabah, Malaysia. The investigation was focused on preventative control measures including the early detection of the ice-ice syndrome and pests through propagule health checks, regular cleaning of the crop thallus and associated long-line ropes and monitoring of the environment. Farm procedures and practices were also assessed in terms of their biosecurity ‘risk’ using the hazard analysis and critical control point (HCCAP) approach. Observations were replicated in two different farm management systems; one system adopted routine biosecurity measures and the other had no biosecurity measures. The results showed that the ice-ice syndrome and pest outbreak was significantly decreased by 60–75% for K. malesianus and 29–71% for K. alvarezii at the farm which adopted the routine biosecurity measures compared with the no biosecurity treatment. The biosecurity measures also significantly improved growth rate and seaweed quality. The infection levels of the epi-endophyte Melanothamnus sp. contributed to the ice-ice syndrome in K. malesianus, whilst the epiphyte coverage was correlated to the ice-ice incidence in K. alvarezii. This study provides the first evidence of biosecurity management measures significantly decreasing the incidence of the ice-ice syndrome and pests on a commercial seaweed farm.

scholarly journals Food Allergen Detection Methods: A Coordinated Approach

2004 ◽  
Vol 87 (6) ◽  
pp. 1383-1390 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip R Goodwin
Keyword(s):  
Hazard Analysis ◽  
Adult Population ◽  
Control Point ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Test Methods ◽  
Detection Methods ◽  
Critical Control Point ◽  
Life Threatening ◽  
Monitoring And Surveillance ◽  
Analytical Approaches

Abstract The levels (1–2%) and increasing severity of allergic responses to food in the adult population are well documented, as is the phenomenon of even higher (3–8%) and apparently increasing incidence in children, albeit that susceptibility decreases with age. Problematic foods include peanut, milk, eggs, tree nuts, and sesame, but the list is growing as awareness continues to rise. The amounts of such foods that can cause allergic reactions is difficult to gauge; however, the general consensus is that ingestion of low parts per million is sufficient to cause severe reactions in badly affected individuals. Symptoms can rapidly—within minutes—progress from minor discomfort to severe, even life-threatening anaphylactic shock in those worst affected. Given the combination of high incidence of atopy, potential severity of response, and apparently widespread instances of “hidden” allergens in the food supply, it is not surprising that this issue is increasingly subject to legislative and regulatory scrutiny. In order to assist in the control of allergen levels in foods to acceptable levels, analysts require a combination of test methods, each designed to produce accurate, timely, and cost-effective analytical information. Such information contributes significantly to Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point programs to determine food manufacturers’ risk and improves the accuracy of monitoring and surveillance by food industry, commercial, and enforcement laboratories. Analysis thereby facilitates improvements in compliance with labeling laws with concomitant reductions in risks to atopic consumers. This article describes a combination of analytical approaches to fulfill the various needs of these 3 analytical communities.

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