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. 1996 Sep 1;37(3):219–228. doi: 10.1186/BF03548089

Microbiological Contamination of Carcasses Related to Hygiene Practice and Facilities on Slaughtering Lines

Sambandet mellan den mikrobiologiska kontaminationen av slaktkroppar och hygienen vid hanteringen av slaktkroppar i slakterier

M Rahkio 1,✉, H Korkeala 1
PMCID: PMC8063981  PMID: 8996868

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to investigate the association between the hygienic practice of slaughterhouse workers and the microbiological contamination level of carcasses. In 5 Finnish slaughterhouses the workers’ hygienic practice was observed and the carcasses were sampled by the swabbing method. The overall means (log10 cfu cm−2) of the aerobic plate count in pork and beef carcasses were 3.23 and 2.65, respectively. Hygienic practice was found to be associated with the carcass contamination level, especially the disinfection frequency. In those slaughterhouses, where the disinfection frequency was low, the contamination level of carcasses was high. Designing slaughtering lines so as to make hygienic working possible is evidently very important. However, the enforcement of hygienic practice, such as the regular disinfection of working tools, is also important in reducing the microbiological contamination of carcasses.

Keywords: slaughterhouse, working methods, pork, beef

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Acknowledgment

The authors thank the Finnish Veterinary Science Foundation for the financial support.

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