THE EFFECT OF BONING AND PLANT CLEANING ON THE CONTAMINATION OF BEEF CUTS IN A COMMERCIAL BONING HALL

A series of experiments was carried out to determine the effect of boning and trimming on the bacteriology of a number of beef cuts. At the same time the plant cleaning programme was investigated to determine its efficiency in reducing bacterial numbers on different surfaces within the boning hall. The hygiene of the personnel involved in boning was also studied. The work showed that the level of contamination varied with the different cuts of meat. On the striploin and fillet the level of contamination was higher than on the inside or outside rounds. This variation resulted mainly from the amount of handling the meat received. The cleaning programme in the plant was shown to be very inefficient in reducing bacterial contamination. Personnel hygiene was also considered inadequate. It is probable that both surfaces and personnel were sources of contamination of the meat.