Effects of workers’ hand washing and knife disinfection practices on microbiological quality of small animal carcasses in slaughterhouse environment

Abstract

Red meats are important sources of animal protein in human diet; and microbial load of the carcass surfaces is of importance in terms of meat safety, meat quality, and consumer health. The microbial contamination of carcass surface is mostly comes from by different sources such as hide/fleece, intestinal contents, slaughterhouse equipment/tools, and workers during slaughtering (Abd-Elaleem, Bakr, Hazzah, & Nasreldin, 2014; Villarreal-Silva et al., 2016). One of the procedures to reduce microbial contamination of carcass surface is to reduce the microbial contamination arising from equipment and workers (Wambui, Lamuka, Kariri, Matofari, & Njage, 2018). It was noted that the microbial load of abattoir personnel hands was between 10 7 and 10 12 cfu/hand, and 124 different species of bacteria were isolated from the personnel hands (Abd-Elaleem et al., 2014). Bell and Hathaway (1996) detected 5.0 log 10 cfu/cm 2 aerobic bacteria on the blade used for skinning in slaughterhouse. The regulation (EC) 853/2004 reported that "slaughterhouses must have facilities for disinfecting tools with hot water supplied at not less than 82°C, or an alternative system having an equivalent effect," however, the regulations did not mention the time of exposure to the hot water (Anonymous, 2004). Although laboratory studies have been conducted to determine the microbial reduction on the blade by this process (Barbosa et al.

Outcomes of Microbiological Challenges in Poultry Transport: A Mini Review of the Reasons for Effective Bacterial Control

“…Studies have conclusively demonstrated the effectiveness of certain antibacterial agents in mitigating contamination of duck and broiler transport crates, as well as trucks dedicated to this purpose [19,30]. Additionally, these substances are effective in cleaning workers' hands [34]. Below, we present recent examples that illustrate the ability of these antibacterial solutions to directly suppress bacteria.…”

Food Safety in Low and Middle Income Countries

“…Handwashing can also help to protect slaughterhouse workers against transmitted bacterial pathogens such as Salmonella spp. as well as protect the meat from contamination Durmuşoglu et al, 2020). And given emerging evidence of the bioaerosolization of pathogenic bacteria such as S. suis (Bonifait et al, 2014;Nguyen et al, 2021;Tang et al, 2021), facial shields or masks are increasingly necessary to both prevent potential inhalation of infected particles.…”

A glance into traditional pig slaughtering practices in Vietnam and opportunities for zoonotic disease prevention

“…Handwashing can also help to protect slaughterhouse workers against transmitted bacterial pathogens such as Salmonella spp. as well as protect the meat from contamination (Cook et al, 2017;Durmuşoglu et al, 2020). And given emerging evidence of the bioaerosolization of pathogenic bacteria such as S. suis (Bonifait et al, 2014;Nguyen et al, 2021;Tang et al, 2021), facial shields or masks are increasingly necessary to both prevent potential inhalation of infected particles.…”