Establishing microbiological surveillance programmes at slaughterlines-A new concept of meat hygiene.

This paper examines the practical aspects of a concept for microbiological control of dressing operations on cattle slaughterlines. First, the spreading of Salmonella was examined. A total of 99 (3·66%) of the swab samples were positive. Cutting off the hooves and pre-skinning showed the highest recovery of Salmonella. A second survey included the detection of all the important groups of the surface microflora. The microbiological profiles of the carcasses were determined at the end of the slaughterline and after different stages of chilling. A consistently higher contamination was found statistically for the lateral surface of the carcasses and, within this area, the most contaminated sites were on the front quarter. The biometrical analysis revealed a significant interaction between contamination and site, and an indicator function of the total viable count (TVC) and the Enterobacteriaceae. The TVC (x = 4·95/s = 0·34 cfu/cm(2)) indicated a fairly good standard of slaughter hygiene. Correct chilling did not change the contamination rates very much. This increased contamination is a result of improper handling of the carcasses. The trends of both surveys demonstrate that, for cattle slaughter, the establishing of critical control points is a possible way for a plant to control the slaughterline.