A QUANTITATIVE SURVEY OF A MEAT PRODUCTION CHAIN TO DETERMINE THE MICROBIAL PROFILE OF THE FINAL PRODUCT

Samples from carcasses, personnel surfaces, equipment, and minced meat, packaged and displayed in cabinets were taken at a city abattoir, a wholesaler, and 10 different supermarkets. Bacteria enumerated were 1) psychrotrophs; 2) Enterobacteriaceae; 3) enterococci; 4) micrococci; 5) Pseudomonas spp; and 6) Bro-chothrix thermosphacta. The non integrated production system of abattoirs, wholesalers, and retailers yielded psychrotrophic and enterococci counts at retail which compared fairly well with those reported in literature, while the Enterobacteriaceae and micrococci counts were higher. Besides the psychrotrophs the pseudomonads were the most numerous group in the final product. Different surfaces were not sanitized with the same efficacy, while a general tendency towards lower counts at one supermarket group was monitored. The counts described 96% of the variation in the psychrotrophic count at the abattoir, while the success in using these counts in estimating the psychrotrophic count at the wholesaler and retailers was not as significant. At the abattoir the Enterobacteriaceae and psuedomonads were the biggest contributors to the psychrotrophic count, at the wholesaler the Enterobacteriaceae and micrococci counts, and at the retailers the micrococci and pseudomonads respectively. This indicates that Enterobacteriaceae might be common psychrotrophs in the meat production chain, maybe originating from the abattoir and wholesale environments. Copyright © International Association of Milk, Food and Environmental Sanitarians.