Abstract
ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of different periods of pre-slaughter fasting (F1: 2 to 24 hours and F2: 48 to 72 hours) on the counts of hygiene indicator microorganisms and the presence of Salmonella spp. in carcasses of bullfrogs. Two different stages of the slaughter process were analyzed: after bleeding (A) and after the final carcasses cleaning (B). Samples from each fasting period were analyzed to count hygiene indicator microorganisms (n=30) and Salmonella spp. (n=140). For aerobic mesophilic microorganisms, the variation in fasting periods caused a reduction of 0.69 log10 CFU / g (P<0.05) in F2 when compared to F1 at point B of the slaughter. Coliforms at 35º C and Escherichia coli showed no differences (P >0.05) between the fasting analyzed periods. Considering the presence of E. coli, it was observed that F2 resulted in a reduction of 30% (P<0.05) positivity on point B. For Salmonella spp., the results showed that F2 contributed to an 11.5% reduction in the presence of this bacteria at point B. (P<0.05). Therefore, it is concluded that 48 to 72 hours of pre-slaughter fasting resulted in a positive impact on the microbiological quality of bullfrog carcasses.
Highlights
Bullfrog (Lithobates catesbeianus Shaw, 1802) production in Brazil began in the early 1930s and since much has been invested in the development of techniques and technologies that increase the efficiency of production systems (Cribb et al, 2013; Pahor-Filho et al, 2019)
For Salmonella spp., the results showed that F2 contributed to an 11.5% reduction in the presence of this bacteria at point B. (P
In step B, the fasting period of 48 to 72 hours resulted in a reduction of 0.69 log10 CFU / g in carcass contamination compared to those subjected to a shorter fasting period (P
Summary
Bullfrog (Lithobates catesbeianus Shaw, 1802) production in Brazil began in the early 1930s and since much has been invested in the development of techniques and technologies that increase the efficiency of production systems (Cribb et al, 2013; Pahor-Filho et al, 2019). One of the steps that can be evaluated in this regard is the influence of pre-slaughter fasting time on the number of hygiene indicator microorganisms in the carcass or the presence of pathogenic microorganisms such as those belonging to the genus Salmonella spp. and Escherichia coli (Pointon et al, 2012). Both bacterial genus are recognized worldwide as important causes of foodborne illnesses with symptoms that can vary from fever, abdominal cramps, blood in the stool and, in some cases, may become fatal (Doenças..., 2019). The concern about the safety of the product becomes even more relevant when we observe that there is a worldwide growth in the consumption of frog meat, with it even being recommended as an option in some functional diets (Oliveira et al, 2017; Lin et al, 2020)
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