Risks and prevention of contamination of beef carcasses during the slaughter process in the United States of America.

A brief general description of the beef cattle slaughter process used in the United States of America is presented. Considerable variation in prevalence of microbial contamination at beef processing establishments has been reported. Primary factors which may explain this variation include: a) pathogen load on, or in, live animals entering the establishment; b) sanitation practices used by the establishment. Pathogen load on, or in, live animals depends on environmental exposure to contaminants, the health of the animal, and on situations stressful to the animal which may increase microbial shedding, such as disrupted access to feed and water, transport, handling and contact with other animals. Processing stations and slaughter practices which are potential sources of carcass contamination are listed, and points on carcasses where contamination is most likely to occur are noted. Contamination risk-reduction measures within an establishment include carcass treatments with anti-microbial agents, trimming, washing, steaming, chilling and gamma irradiation. Several good sanitation practices are described. Microbial monitoring is a necessary step for determining whether sanitation practices are efficacious, but the usefulness of microbial monitoring depends on the microbial tests selected, sampling procedures, frequency of sampling, the rapidity of receiving test results and consistent and accurate record-keeping and analysis. Federal inspection to ensure that processing establishments comply with new Federal regulations regarding the implementation of standard sanitation procedures and microbial testing should result in greater vigilance of good sanitation practices by establishments.