Approaches to Meat Safety

Assessment of the Spoilage Microflora in Swine Carcasses

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Abstract

The aim of our study was to perform a microbial risk assessment at warm and chilled swine carcasses represented by the psychrotrophic bacteria. The research material was represented by 288 swine meat samples, collected between January and December 2021, from two pig slaughtering units in Cluj County. A quantitative approach based on microbiological determinations analyses were carried out: psychrotrophic plate count, isolation of Pseudomonas, Aeromonas, Yersinia and Enterobacteriaceae, using selective media as follows. The trimestral average of the total psychrotrophic count at the surface of warm carcasses presented different values, ranged between 3.80±0.60 log CFU/cm2 in trim. I and 5.01±0.30 log CFU/cm2 in trim. III. Pseudomonas spp. count in unit A ranged between 2.58±0.48 log CFU/cm2 in trim. II and 3.46±0.73 log CFU/cm2 in trim. I. Initial microflora from the surface of swine carcasses in both slaughterhouses was dominated by Gram positive bacteria (55.69% in the case of slaughterhouse A, respectively 56.36% in the slaughterhouse B). The microbial population at the surface of swine carcasses before chilling was represented by the following genera: Staphylococcus, Micrococcus, Lactobacillus, Neisseria, Aeromonas, Acinetobacter, Moraxella, Pseudomonas, Yersinia, Serratia, Hafnia, Proteus and Escherichia. Microbial load from the surface of carcasses is significantly influenced by the temperature in the chilling room of the slaughterhouse, if the temperature is inadequate, the microbial load is significantly higher.

How to Cite:

Belous, M., Mihaiu, M., Tabaran, A., Reget, O., Cîmpean, R. & Dan, S. D., (2023) “Assessment of the Spoilage Microflora in Swine Carcasses”, SafePork 14(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.31274/safepork.16347