The relationship between beef raw material surface contaminants and hide contaminants in beef cattle.

摘要

There is claimed to be a relationship between aerobic plate count (APC) and Enterobacteriaceae count on beef carcass surfaces immediately after de-hiding. The hide is also reported to be a source of Escherichia coli O157:H7, which is a serious foodborne pathogen. Knowledge of the factors than influence microbial load on the hides of beef animals during slaughter can help to identify control measures to minimise contamination of meat. This study examined whether there was a regional difference in APC and Escherichia coli O157:H7 numbers on the hides of beef cattle in the US, and evaluated the effectiveness of hide washes to reduce the risks of cross-contamination. There was an indication of a regional difference, but the reasons for this were not identified. There was also some evidence for an association between APC and Escherichia coli O157:H7 levels, suggesting that APC count might be used as a marker for Escherichia coli O157:H7 counts. Hide removal transferred between 40 and 65% of the microbial load onto the carcass surface. Therefore, decontamination of hides should be an effective way to reduce the microbial load on dehided carcass meat. It was shown that plants where APC log counts on the carcass were maintained below 3 log units immediately after hide removal, which is possible through the use of hide-on wash cabinets, minimised both APC and Escherichia coli O157:H7 contamination of carcasses and meat.