High voltage electrical stimulation: its effect on microbial contamination of lamb carcases in a commercial abattoir

Abstract

This study was designed to establish the effect of an abattoir's commercial high voltage electrical stimulator on lamb carcase microbial contamination, including TVC, coliform and Campylobacter colony counts. Over eight visits, batches of six lamb carcases were sampled using the wet and dry swab technique both before and after passage through a high voltage electrical stimulator. On each visit three of the carcases were sent through the electrical stimulator while it was operational (the treatment group) and three carcases were sent through when the electrical stimulator had its power turned off (the control group). The swabs were placed into maximum recovery diluent, transported ‘on-ice’ and held at 0°C overnight before dilutions and plating out the following day. Too few coliform colonies were recovered for a meaningful analysis and no campylobacters were recovered. The total viable counts of the electrically stimulated and the control carcases were found not to be significantly different.