Arquivo Brasileiro de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia ()

Influence of different periods of pre-slaughter fasting on microbiological quality of bullfrog carcasses (Lithobates catesbeianus)

  • P.C. Costa,
  • Y.F. Nascimento,
  • L.R.M. Costa,
  • S.C. Dias,
  • N.K.O. Ventura,
  • R.S. Yamatogi,
  • F.A.A. Costa,
  • M.V.C. Cossi

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1590/1678-4162-12030

Abstract

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ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of different periods of pre-slaughter fasting (F1: 2 to 24 hours and F2: 48 to 72 hours) on the counts of hygiene indicator microorganisms and the presence of Salmonella spp. in carcasses of bullfrogs. Two different stages of the slaughter process were analyzed: after bleeding (A) and after the final carcasses cleaning (B). Samples from each fasting period were analyzed to count hygiene indicator microorganisms (n=30) and Salmonella spp. (n=140). For aerobic mesophilic microorganisms, the variation in fasting periods caused a reduction of 0.69 log10 CFU / g (P0.05) between the fasting analyzed periods. Considering the presence of E. coli, it was observed that F2 resulted in a reduction of 30% (P<0.05) positivity on point B. For Salmonella spp., the results showed that F2 contributed to an 11.5% reduction in the presence of this bacteria at point B. (P<0.05). Therefore, it is concluded that 48 to 72 hours of pre-slaughter fasting resulted in a positive impact on the microbiological quality of bullfrog carcasses.

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