Red Meat Carcasses Research Articles

Price dynamics of red meat types in South Africa for the period 2013 to 2017

The agricultural product market is changing from a producer-orientated to a more consumer-orientated market. Consumer rely on the classification system within the red meat types. Different red meat types and carcass classifications influence the prices of red meat. This study was conducted to determine the price dynamics of different red meat carcasses and carcass classes. It was theorised that the different red meat classification classes and number of carcasses sold influence the price and demand of red meats. It was also theorised that specific meat classes have a greater influence on meat prices and demand than others. The results of this study supports the hypothesis that red meat carcass type and specific meat classes within carcass type influence red meat carcass prices. There is a differentiation among classes in terms of the degree to which class influences price, since classes were identified that had no influence on price dynamics of other meat types.

Red meat and processed red meat consumption behaviour of healthcare professionals: do they participate in the World Health Organization's view of red meat carcasses and red meat carcinogens?

This study investigated the consumption behaviours of healthcare professionals in relation to red meat and processed red meat products. This study included a questionnaire conducted through face-to-face interviews with 149 health professionals. The purpose of the questionnaire was to determine the extent to which health professionals agreed with the WHO classification of red meat and processed red meat on their list of carcinogenic products. This research was carried out in İzmir, which is Turkey's third largest city. The survey was conducted in 2016 by holding face to face interviews with forty-three specialist doctors, sixteen doctors, twelve dentists, sixty-four nurses and fourteen pharmacists. Nationally representative sample of healthcare professionals in Turkey. People educated in healthcare are especially cautious about the consumption of processed red meat products. The results of the research revealed the importance of processing and cooking patterns in red meat consumption preferences. The consequences of the research, in terms of breaking down prejudices and overcoming the anxieties of those with health concerns who do not consume red meat, are important. In fact, the results show that healthcare professionals consume red meat, but they are more careful in their consumption of processed red meat products. This result is in line with the WHO report.

Vascular perfusion chilling of red meat carcasses – A feasibility study

Meat carcasses must be chilled to below 7 °C before leaving the slaughterhouse. Typically this is done by passing cold air over the surfaces of eviscerated and de-hided carcasses. This surface cooling can take many hours to reduce centre temperatures to below 7 °C. In vascular perfusion chilling (VPC), a cold fluid is circulated through the intact vascular system, offering significant reductions in cooling time. This paper describes a small feasibility study to evaluate vascular perfusion techniques for rapid chilling of lamb carcasses using a proprietary Flo-ice ™ system. This produces pumpable ice slurries containing very fine ice particles, suitable for circulating through vascular systems. VPC was found to be capable of rapid initial reduction of carcass temperatures in comparison with air chilling (mean times to 20 °C in deep legs were reduced from 2.6 to 1.3 h, which was significantly different at P < 0.05). In all cases however, uptake of perfusate into the carcasses occurred. This limited the duration of the perfusion treatment and as a result restricted the period of enhanced cooling. Samples from carcasses treated with VPC were lighter ( P < 0.05, with mean measured L value increasing from 43.4 to 46.8) and more yellow ( P < 0.05, with mean measured b value increasing from 6.7 to 7.9) than samples from conventionally chilled carcasses, and had lower shear force values when cooked ( P < 0.05, with mean force reducing from 10.0 to 6.8 kg). This was most probably due to the added water in the meat. Microbial quality of the meat was not significantly affected by the perfusion treatments.

Presence of Salmonella in the Red Meat Abattoir Lairage after Routine Cleansing and Disinfection and on Carcasses

Foodborne pathogens, such as Salmonella, may remain in abattoir lairages after cleansing and pose a risk of transfer and contamination from one processing day to the next. These organisms may be transferred to the outer surface of animals held in lairage facilities, and the skin or hide may be a significant source of microbial contamination on the red meat carcasses subsequently produced. Sponge samples were taken from various sites in the lairage (n = 556), and single-pass sponge samples were taken from one side of red meat carcasses (n = 1,050) at five commercial abattoirs in Southwest England and tested for the presence of Salmonella. Of these, 6.5% of lairage samples were positive, containing estimated numbers of up to 104Salmonella organisms per sampled area (50 by 50 cm). Salmonella was found on 9.6% of 240 lamb carcasses, 12.7% of 330 beef carcasses, 31% of 70 pig carcasses, 20% of 80 calf carcasses younger than 14 days of age, and none of 330 cull cow and bull carcasses. Subtyping divided the 137 isolates into seven serogroups and three pulsed-field gel electrophoresis clusters, and sensitivity testing against a bank of 16 antimicrobials indicated that 47 isolates had resistance to one or more antimicrobial agents. These results indicate that Salmonella contamination can persist in the lairage environment from one processing day to the next and that Salmonella is present on red meat carcasses, although the implications of residual lairage contamination on carcass meat microbiology are not clear from this study. Abattoir owners should take steps to reduce the level of contamination in their premises to prevent contamination from being carried over from one processing day to the next.

MICROBIAL PROLIFERATION AND MATHEMATICAL INDICES OF VACUUM-PACKED BOVINE MEAT

Microbial proliferation on red meat carcasses stored at low temperatures is known to occur, and this proliferation is to a large extent dependent on the types of organisms present as well as on the initial microbial concentration. In this study, the microbial shelf life of vacuum-packed bovine meat stored at 5 and 18C was investigated, and mathematical indices were generated. This was carried out to investigate the proliferation of the various microbiota at initial storage temperatures as well as to simulate conditions where a breach in the cold chain might occur. Throughout the 5C storage period, the numbers of Enterococcus spp. and Proteus spp. decreased, whereas those of the remaining microorganisms studied increased at a relatively slow pace. Lactose-fermenting Enterobacteriaceae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Enterococcus spp. and total coliform counts decreased after 10 days of incubation at 18C. In addition, Shigella spp. was also detected after a prolonged period of storage at high storage temperature. Strong positive correlations were noted between several genera at both storage temperatures. Mathematical indices were also generated to circumvent any hazardous risks associated with vacuum-packed bovine meat spoilage in the future. The results show that at these two temperatures, the various genera reacted totally differently with specific hazards originating from the predominance of certain groups. The initial microbial load played a pivotal role in the patterns of growth at both 5 and 18C.

Combined Effects of Lactic Acid and Nisin Solution in Reducing Levels of Microbiological Contamination in Red Meat Carcasses

Changes in bacterial counts on beef carcasses at specific points during slaughter and fabrication were determined, and the effectiveness of nisin, lactic acid, and a combination of the lactic acid and nisin in reducing levels of microbiological contamination was assessed. Swab samples were obtained from the surfaces of randomly selected beef carcasses. Carcasses were swabbed from the neck, brisket, and renal site after skinning, splitting, and washing. Treatments involving lactic acid (1.5%), nisin (500 IU/ml), or a mixture of nisin and lactic acid were applied after the neck area was washed. A control group was not sprayed. Results indicated that the highest prevalence of aerobic plate counts (APCs), total coliforms, and Escherichia coli was found in the neck site after splitting, and the lowest level of microbial contamination was found after skinning. Washing with water did not significantly reduce the bacterial load. The largest reduction in APCs, total coliforms, and E. coli occurred on carcasses treated with a mixture of nisin and lactic acid. A mixture of nisin and lactic acid can be applied to beef carcasses through spray washing and can reduce bacterial populations by 2 log units.

Microbial ATP Bioluminescence as a Means to Detect Contamination on Artificially Contaminated Beef Carcass Tissue

The use of microbial ATP bioluminescence was evaluated as a means to rapidly detect gross microbial contamination from feces on bovine-carcass surface tissue (BCT). Microbial ATP was selectively distinguished from nonmicrobial ATP by the assay procedure used. Regression analyses of microbial ATP and viable count scatterplots showed lean and adipose BCT artificially contaminated with bovine feces had the same regression line parameters (P < 0.05), and therefore, the microbial ATP responses were similar for both tissue types. Correlation coefficients (r) of these regression lines were >0.90 for both tissue types. Results indicated that swab samples can be held at 5°C for up to 6 h without compromising microbial ATP bioluminescence assay results. The microbial ATP bioluminescence assay shows potential for use as a means to rapidly detect fecal contamination on red meat carcasses and to gauge decontamination effectiveness and hence could monitor critical control points in a processing-plant HACCP plan.

Decontamination of beef carcass tissue with nisin using a pilot scale model carcass washer

Nisin spray treatments were tested for controlling Gram-positive bacteria attached to beef carcass surface tissue using a pilot scale model carcass washer. Section of lean and adipose tissues were inoculated with approximately 4 log 10 cfu cm -2 of Brochothrix thermosphacta, Carnobacterium divergens or Listeria innocua. Following 28°C water or nisin sprays, bacterial populations were enumerated immediately and after incubation for 24 h at 4°C. Spray treatments with water did not significantly alter the bacterial populations at day 0 or 1 (< 1 log 10 reduction). However, nisin spray treatments (5000 AU ml -1) reduced populations by 1·79 to 3·54 log 10 cfu cm -2 at day 0 and by 1·97 to 3·60 log 10 cfu cm -2 at day 1. This study demonstrates that spray washing is an effective means of applying bacteriocins and that these compounds may be useful as sanitizers of red meat carcasses.

A Computer-controlled Spray Chill Unit for Red Meat Carcasses

A computer controlled and operated spray chill unit which can be used in future research studies for both spray chilling and decontamination of red meat carcasses is described. The unit consists of two parts: (1) an electromechanical system, and (2) a data acquisition/control system. Design concepts for the spray chill system are (1) versatility, (2) rapid change of spray parameters, and (3) computer control of the electromechanical system. An added feature is the computer data collection system for recording information related to each carcass (pH of muscle, surface and internal tissue temperatures, and weights of each half carcass during the cooling cycle; velocity, temperature, and humidity of the chill cooler air) and environmental data related to spraying conditions (time and duration of spray period and temperature of sprayed solution). Keywords. Decontamination, Dehydration, Meat, Quality control, Sanitation.

Prevalence and Distribution of Campylobacter spp. on Poultry and Selected Red Meat Carcasses in Poland

Campylobacter jejuni, Campylobacter coli, and Campylobacter laridis are recognized causes of alimentary infections in humans. These infections are most often transmitted by foods of animal origin, with undercooked poultry or unpasteurized milk most frequently implicated as vehicles. There are no data on the prevalence and distribution of Campylobacter spp. on meats in Poland. We assessed 839 poultry, 105 porcine, and 114 bovine carcasses for the qualitative presence of the organism on the freshly processed product. The organisms were found on 80.3% of the chicken, 48.0% of the duck, 38.0% of the goose, and 3.0% of the turkey carcasses examined. The contamination on porcine and bovine carcasses was 2.9 and 0.9%, respectively. In addition, we assessed and determined that modified Campylobacter charcoal differential agar (CCDA) medium was more sensitive and selective than Campylobacter brucella agar plate (Campy-BAP) medium for the isolation of Campylobacter spp. from poultry carcasses.

SALMONELLA CONTAMINATION OF EQUIPMENT AND BEEF CARCASSES IN THE BERLIN (WEST) SLAUGHTERHOUSE EVALUATED BY VARIOUS ENRICHMENT PROCEDURES

ABSTRACTThe spread of salmonellae in the abattoir environment during the slaughtering of cattle in the Berlin (West) slaughterhouse was investigated. A total of 99 (3. 66%) out of 2704 swab samples were positive. Cutting off the hooves and preskinning gave the highest recovery of salmonellae. Less recoveries were obtained after opening the abdominal cavity. Removal of head, loosening the skin of head, removing the hide and splitting the breastbone and the carcass did not result in the isolation of the organism. Salmonella anatum was the most common isolate. The same serotypes were isolated from both carcasses and equipment. A comparison between Tetrathionate‐enrichment (TTE) and Cystine‐Seleniteenrichment (CSE) was made with 2 different pre‐enrichment periods (6h and 24 h); this was done with swab samples from red meat carcasses and slaughterhouse equipment. Overall, TTE had a higher isolation rate at 24 h preenrichment. The variation between enrichment media may be partly attributable to the multiple swab sampling technique used in the study.

Rapid Estimation of Microbial Numbers on Meat and Poultry by the Direct Epifluorescent Filter Technique

The direct epifluorescent filter technique (DEFT) for rapid estimation of microbial numbers was evaluated by comparison with the plate count on a variety of uncooked red meat and poultry samples. Good agreement [correlation coefficient (r) = 0.95–0.96] was obtained from samples with plate counts of 5 × 103/g or /cm2 and above from red meat carcasses (surface swabbed), aerobic or vacuum packed chill-stored joints (surface sampled - stomachered) and frozen beef (thawed stomachered). For stored and unstored raw poultry sampled by skin scraping or stomachering of muscle and skin good overall correlation (r = 0.88–0.89) was obtained between the DEFT count and the plate count in the ranges 1.1 × 103 to 1.3 × 107/cm2 (skin scraping) and 1 × 104 to 9.5 × 106/g (muscle and skin) even though the DEFT always overestimated counts on samples on which no growth had occurred (plate count <7×104/cm2 or <1×105/g). However, good linearity between DEFT and plate counts allowed use of the regression equation to obtain a good estimate of the plate count on these samples. The DEFT was unsuitable for application to poultry neck skin sampled by shaking because particulate material interfered with counting. This was also a problem with Mechanically Recovered Meat although the DEFT gave a fair estimate (r = 0.72) of the plate count on certain types (beef and veal) of this product. The DEFT was capable of providing counts within 35 to 45 min and its applicability to the rapid estimation of bacterial numbers in meat and poultry is discussed.

Contamination of red-meat carcasses by Campylobacter fetus subsp. jejuni.

Campylobacter fetus subsp. jejuni was commonly present in the feces of unweaned calves (2 to 3 weeks old) and from two of four groups of sheep. One new season lamb (12 to 16 weeks old) carried the organism, but the bacteria were not isolated from cattle. With unweaned calves, the fractions of animals infected and carcasses contaminated were similar. Contamination of carcasses usually involved low densities of C. fetus subsp. jejuni (ca. 1 to 10/cm2), which were isolated from flank but not rump areas. The organism was recovered less frequently from chilled carcasses and deboned veal. Small numbers of C. fetus subsp. jejuni could be recovered from equipment during the processing of unweaned calves but not after routine cleaning.

The effect of incubation temperature and site of sampling on assessment of the numbers of bacteria on red meat carcasses at commercial abattoirs.

Several sites on commercial beef, pork and lamb carcasses were sampled at the end of the slaughterline. Total viable counts (TVC) of bacteria were assessed by incubation at 37, 20 and 1 degree C in addition to presumptive coliforms (PC), Enterobacteriaceae (ENT) and faecal streptococci (FS). Statistical analyses showed consistently dirty sites within an abattoir but these sites varied from one abattoir to another. Inter-site differences were unaffected by the incubation temperature of the TVC. Numbers of PC, ENT and FS did not mimic TVC. Empirical sampling plans are proposed to detect the highest count on a carcass by bulking samples from known dirty sites. At the end of the slaughterline TVC 37 degrees C is the most useful bacteriological index.

Relevance of the formal red meat classification system to the South African informal livestock sector

In 1992 the South African meat industry was deregulated and this led to the formation of the new Marketing of Agricultural Products Act, Act no. 47 of 1996. The Act made provisions for producers to sell animals to customers of their own choice at mutually agreed prices. Thus, producers in the informal sector took advantage of the free marketing system. The result was a substantial increase in the number of animals slaughtered in the informal sector. Unfortunately the requirements for animal identification are not always observed in this sector. Challenges faced by communal farmers which include the multipurpose roles of livestock, lack of slaughter facilities within reasonable distance and lack of access to market information make them less willing to sell their animals through the formal market. The formal market is characterised by meat inspection and carcass classification which scare away the communal farmers for fear of income loss through animal condemnation. The informal sector might not recognise the importance of formal carcass classification. There is need to direct research and development efforts to address marketing constraints faced by communal farmers, and to promote formal marketing of livestock for meat quality assurance and a fair return to the farmers. This review seeks to assess the relevance of formal classification of red meat carcasses to the informal sector, make recommendations on ways to ameliorate the undesirable effect of the classification system on the informal sector, and identify possible areas which need further research to develop the classification system in South Africa.Keywords: Communal farmers, marketing system, meat industry