Impact of echinococcosis on beef quality in Uzbekistan

Abstract

Assortment of finished products of meat is quite large in the food market of Uzbekistan, but these products quality are varying. Today quality control of meat and meat products is very important in slaughterhouses in terms of safety. The conducted studies of the meat of healthy and echinococcosis animals allow us to conclude that this disease has some influence on some parameters that determine the quality of meat. According to a study of1679 cattle slaughtered in slaughterhouses in the Samarkand region of Uzbekistan, the average incidence of echinococcosis was 8.6%. In terms of organoleptic parameters, the meat of healthy animals does not differ from the meat of animals suffering from echinococcosis. Echinococcosis leads to a decrease in the nutritional value of meat, which is expressed by low levels ofprotein and fat. This indicates that during invasion by echinococci in the studied tissues and organs, the pH indicator shifts towards an alkaline reaction due to the primary decay of the protein. The high moisture content in the meat of animals with echinococcosis is an unfavorable factor affecting the resistance of meat to long-term storage.