The Assessement of the Compositional and Microbiological Parameters of some Meat Products Manufactured in a Small Processing Unit

Abstract

The hygienic quality of meat products can be substantially improved by respecting strictly the rules of Good Hygienic Practice (GHP) and the rules of Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) along the entire food chain.The aim of this study was to evaluate the compositional and hygienic parameters of meat and meat products processed in a small scale processing unit, and to assess the microbial risk represented by the total plate count, E. coli and Salmonella spp. The research materials were collected from a small scale meat processing unit located in Maramures County during January-Mai 2014, 15 samples from each of the following types of products: fresh pork meat, smoked salami, cold smoked sausages, raw dry smoked specialities. In order to assess the quality of meat products, all the samples were processed through standardized protocols. Also, the results were statistically analysed using ANOVA monofactorial analysis. Some compositional parameters are accordence with the standards (salt, nitrates and total ammonia content). For the previously mentioned category of products the following compositional parameters were not in accordence with the maximum and minimum limits of the standards: proteins, fatness and humidity. The microbial load ranged between 3.56± 0.32 and 5.85 ± 0.22 log cfu/cm 2 , 20% of samples presented elevated values according with EU standards. The main nonconformities identified regarding compositional parameters in case of smoked salami were the lower values for protein content and the higher values in case of fat. Regarding the fresh sausages nonconformities they were represented mainly by the increased moisture and fat content. In case of raw meat products, the identified nonconformities were represented by the low protein and high fat and moisture content. The microbiological risk parameters were represented by total bacterial load, E. coli and Salmonella was low in all meat products except for fresh raw meat, because total bacterial load exceeds the maximum limits.