<i>Salmonella</i> spp., <i>Escherichia coli</i> and <i>Enterobacteriaceae</i> Control at a Pig Abattoir: Are We Missing Lairage Time Effect, Pig Skin, and Internal Carcass Surface Contamination?
Rui Dias Costa,
Vanessa Silva,
Ana Leite,
Margarida Saraiva,
Teresa Teixeira Lopes,
Patrícia Themudo,
Joana Campos,
Madalena Vieira-Pinto
Affiliations
Rui Dias Costa
CITAB—Centre for the Research and Technology of Agro-Environmental and Biological Sciences/Inov4Agro—Institute for Innovation, Capacity Building and Sustainability of Agri-Food Production, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, Quinta de Prados, 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal
Vanessa Silva
CECAV—Animal and Veterinary Research Centre, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, Quinta de Prados, 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal
Ana Leite
CECAV—Animal and Veterinary Research Centre, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, Quinta de Prados, 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal
Margarida Saraiva
INSA—National Institute of Health Dr. Ricardo Jorge, Food Microbiology Laboratory, Reference Unit, Department of Food and Nutrition, Rua Alexandre Herculano 321, 4000-055 Porto, Portugal
Teresa Teixeira Lopes
INSA—National Institute of Health Dr. Ricardo Jorge, Food Microbiology Laboratory, Reference Unit, Department of Food and Nutrition, Rua Alexandre Herculano 321, 4000-055 Porto, Portugal
Patrícia Themudo
INIAV—National Institute of Agrarian and Veterinary Research, Bacteriology and Micology Laboratory, Avenida da República, Quinta do Marquês, 2780-157 Oeiras, Portugal
Joana Campos
CITAB—Centre for the Research and Technology of Agro-Environmental and Biological Sciences/Inov4Agro—Institute for Innovation, Capacity Building and Sustainability of Agri-Food Production, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, Quinta de Prados, 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal
Madalena Vieira-Pinto
CECAV—Animal and Veterinary Research Centre, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, Quinta de Prados, 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal
To provide meat safety and consumer protection, appropriate hygiene control measures at an abattoir are required. This study aimed to evaluate the influence of visual fecal contamination level (VFCL) and lairage time (LT) on pig skin (PS) and external (ECS) and internal (ICS) carcass surfaces. The presence of Enterobacteriaceae, Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Salmonella in PS, ECS, and ICS were evaluated. A total of 300 paired samples were collected from 100 pigs. Results underlined the importance of the skin (Enterobacteriaceae: 3.27 ± 0.68 log CFU/cm2; E. coli: 3.15 ± 0.63 log CFU/cm2; Salmonella: 21% of samples) as a direct or indirect source of carcass contamination. Although VFCL revealed no significant effect (p > 0.05), the increase of LT had a significant impact (p Enterobacteriaceae and E. coli levels across all analysed surfaces, and Salmonella presence on ICS (p Salmonella, as a criterion for process hygiene based on EC Regulation No. 2073/2005, and as a potential contamination source to be integrated in the hazard analysis critical control point (HACCP) plans.
