Microbiological contamination of carcasses related to hygiene practice and facilities on slaughtering lines.

The purpose of the study was to investigate the association between the hygienic practice of slaughterhouse workers and the microbiological contamination level of carcasses. In 5 Finnish slaughterhouses the workers' hygienic practice was observed and the carcasses were sampled by the swabbing method. The overall means (log10 cfu cm-2) of the aerobic plate count in pork and beef carcasses were 3.

Characterization of Hafnia alvei by biochemical tests, random amplified polymorphic DNA PCR, and partial sequencing of 16S rRNA gene.

Hafnia alvei strains which possess the attachment-effacement gene (eaeA) may have clinical importance as new diarrhea-causing pathogens and should therefore be differentiated from other H. alvei strains. We characterized diarrheal H.

Motivation and characterization of finnish meat inspection veterinarians.

A questionnaire survey on the factors affecting the motivation and work attitudes of Finnish veterinary meat inspectors was conducted. Traditional meat inspection on the slaughtering line and in the emergency department took up most of the weekly work time (15.8% and 15.

Hafnia alvei in stool specimens from patients with diarrhea and healthy controls.

We found an epidemiological association of Hafnia alvei with diarrhea, because the organism was isolated from 12 of 77 (16%) adult Finnish tourists to Morocco who developed diarrhea and from 0 of 321 tourists without diarrhea (P < 0.001). From another group of 112 adult Finnish diarrheal patients, only 2 (2%) yielded H.

Microbiological contamination of reindeer carcass during slaughter.

Microbiological counts for 10 different sampling sites of 28 reindeer carcasses were studied in 3 reindeer slaughterhouses in Finland. On each carcass the hindshank, round, abdomen, flank, brisket, foreleg, shoulder, neck, foreback and back were sampled immediately after slaughter, using a non-destructive swabbing method. The overall mean bacterial count for 10 sampling sites of reindeer carcasses was 1.

Special treatment during slaughtering in Finland of cattle carrying an excessive load of dung; Meat hygienic aspects.

The aim of the study was to evaluate the microbiological consequences of the Finnish special hide regulations. These were agreed upon, by a committee including members representing meat production, industry and the state, to reduce the number of cattle carrying excessive loads of dung. The changes in the number of excessively dungy cattle in one beef abattoir have been recorded since the adoption of the special rules.

Ropy slime-producing lactic acid bacteria contamination at meat processing plants.

At three Finnish meat processing plants the processing rooms, meat trimmings and carcasses were examined for the presence of ropy slime-producing lactic acid bacteria. Bacterial isolates similar to ropy slime-producing lactobacilli strains able to produce ropy slime on meat products, were recovered from the processing rooms and meat trimmings, indicating that these rooms and raw materials are a source of contamination for ropy bacteria. The ability to produce ropy slime would appear to be a common characteristic of lactobacilli, since altogether 10 different ropy lactobacilli groups were isolated in this study.

Classification of ropy slime-producing lactic acid bacteria based on DNA-DNA homology, and identification of Lactobacillus sake and Leuconostoc amelibiosum as dominant spoilage organisms in meat products.

The classification of lactic acid bacteria able to cause ropy slime on vacuum-packed cooked meat products was carried out based on DNA-DNA homology. The ropy slime-producing lactobacilli were identified as strains of Lactobacillus sake and the ropy slime-producing leuconostocs, such as Leuconostoc amelibiosum and Leuconostoc mesenteroides.

The ability of the ropy slime-producing lactic acid bacteria to form ropy colonies on different culture media and at different incubation temperatures and atmospheres.

The ability of the ropy slime-producing lactic acid bacteria to form ropy colonies aerobically and anaerobically on APT, MRS, MRS-S and Rogosa SL agars at 15, 20 and 30 degrees C was tested. Wide variation was observed in the proportion of ropy colonies produced with different culture methods and different test periods. The percentage of viscous colonies was usually highest at 15 degrees C.

Effect of pre-scalding brushing on contamination level of pork carcasses during the slaughtering process.

The number of aerobic bacteria on the skin of pork carcasses was measured at seven different points on the slaughtering line in order to study the hygienic effect of pre-scalding brushing on the contamination level of carcasses. Eighty carcasses were investigated, of which 40 were brushed before scalding and 40 served as controls. Samples were excised from three sites: back, abdomen and ham.

Survival of ropy slime-producing lactic acid bacteria in heat processes used in the meat industry.

The study reported here deals with the survival of ropy slime-producing lactic acid bacteria in two different heat processes used in the Finnish meat industry. In both processes tested, ropiness was prevented in products inoculated with the bacteria before cooking. The bacterial count in the sausages decreased during processing over 4-5 log units/g.

Effect of sodium nitrite and sodium chloride on growth of lactic acid bacteria.

The effect of NaNO2 and NaCl on the growth of 24 lactic acid bacteria strains isolated from vacuum-packed cooked ring sausages were examined by analyzing different growth parameters with Bioscreen. NaNO2 had a very limited effect on the growth of lactic acid bacteria at 50 and 100 mg/l but at 400 mg/l a more pronounced inhibitory effect was found. Bacterial growth was enhanced by 1-2% (w/v) of added NaCl, while NaCl concentrations above 3% (w/v) had a clear inhibitory effect.

Effectiveness of Commercial Germicide Products Against the Ropy Slime-Producing Lactic Acid Bacteria.

The effectiveness of certain commercial germicides against ropy slime-producing lactic acid bacteria was studied using the 5-5-5-suspension test and a tray test which simulated surface disinfection conditions in actual use. The rate of the destruction of the bacteria was lower in the tray test, and the bacteria seemed to be more resistant to the germicides on a steel surface than in vitro. The sanitizer products proved to be more effective than the detergent-sanitizer products.

Comparison of different pH measurement methods in meat.

The accuracy of portable pH meters and the nitrazine yellow method was compared with the reference method by determining the pH of 74 beef and 96 pork muscles. The pH was measured directly from the muscle. The results showed statistically significant differences (p less than 0.

Evaluation of three slide agglutination tests for rapid identification of Staphylococcus aureus.

Three slide agglutination tests for identification of Staphylococcus aureus were compared. The agglutination tests used for evaluation were Staphaurex (Wellcome Diagnostics), Staphyslide-Test (BioMerieux), and ANI S. aureus TEST (Ani Biotech Oy).

Raw Materials of Cooked Ring Sausages as a Source of Spoilage Lactic Acid Bacteria.

The microbial numbers and the lactic acid bacteria population of the raw materials of cooked ring sausages were studied in order to determine the presence of the spoilage lactic acid bacteria of the sausages. The highest aerobic plate counts and lactic acid bacteria counts (up to the level of 10 and 10 CFU/g, respectively) were found in the pork skin emulsion and the meat trimmings. Lactic acid bacteria were also commonly found in the skim milk powder and the potato flour.

Growth Temperatures of Ropy Slime-Producing Lactic Acid Bacteria.

The minimum, optimum, and maximum growth temperatures of ropy slime-producing lactic acid bacteria able to spoil vacuum-packed cooked meat products were determined on MRS-agar with temperature-gradient incubator Gradiplate W10. The minimum growth temperatures of slime-producing lactobacilli and Leuconostoc mesenteroides strain D1 were below -1°C and 4°C, respectively. The low minimum growth temperature allows these bacteria to compete with other bacteria in meat processing plants and in meat products causing ropiness problems.

Lactic acid and pH as indicators of spoilage for vacuum-packed cooked ring sausages.

Lactic acid production and pH changes of 206 vacuum-packed cooked ring sausages stored at 2, 4 and 12 degrees C from 21 different production runs were monitored as a function of time and of microbial growth. The total lactic acid concentrations and pH values were first at a constant level, starting to increase sharply after the lactobacilli count reached about 5 x 10(7) or 6 x 10(7) cfu/g, respectively. The lactic acid and pH changes as a function of the lactobacilli count were similar at 4 and 12 degrees C.

Shelf-life of vacuum-packed cooked ring sausages at different chill temperatures.

Microbiological and sensory changes in 313 vacuum-packed cooked ring sausages from 28 different production runs and stored at 2, 4, 8 or 12 degrees C were monitored as a function of time. The sensory scores started to decrease at a level of approx. 10(7) lactobacilli/g.

Characterization of lactic acid bacteria isolated from vacuum-packed cooked ring sausages.

The bacterial populations of the surface layer and the centre of 15 spoiled vacuum-packed cooked ring sausages were characterized. About 95% of the total bacterial population in the surface layer and 55% at the centre were lactic acid bacteria. Another large bacterial group at the centre consisted of Bacillus spp.

Ropy slime formation in vacuum-packed cooked meat products caused by homofermentative lactobacilli and a Leuconostoc species.

This paper deals with the cause of the formation of ropy slime on the surface of vacuum-packed cooked meat products. Two different homofermentative lactobacilli and a Leuconostoc strain were isolated from different ropy vacuum-packed meat products. The strains were able to produce slime experimentally on vacuum-packed cooked sausages.

Time course of the antibacterial activity of erythromycin stearate and erythromycin acistrate against two Staphylococcus aureus strains in vitro.

The antibacterial efficacy of erythromycin stearate (ES) and a new erythromycin prodrug, erythromycin acistrate (EA, 2'-acetyl erythromycin stearate), was compared in two Staphylococcus aureus strains, one sensitive and the other resistant to erythromycin. The growth was continuously monitored turbidometrically for 24 h. With the sensitive S.

Microbiological Changes in Smoked and Charred Baltic Herrings during Storage.

The microbiological quality of smoked and charred Baltic herrings from two different processing plants was studied after preparation and after storage for 24, 48 and 96 h at 4 and 20°C. One of the processing plants used traditional processing methods and the other a modern processing technology. No significant increase in aerobic plate counts (APCs) was observed during storage of smoked herrings at 4°C; after 96 h the mean APC was 1.

The effect of the pH of meat on the boiling test.

The effect of the pH on the boiling test was studied in 68 beef and 108 pork muscles. The pH had a significant effect on the sensory scores obtained from the boiling test. The effect was particularly pronounced in the odour of meat.

Gas chromatography analysis of cellular fatty acids and neutral monosaccharides in the identification of lactobacilli.

Cellular fatty acids and monosaccharides in a group of 14 lactobacilli were analyzed by gas chromatography and the identity of the components was confirmed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. From the same bacterial sample, both monosaccharides and fatty acids were liberated by methanolysis, and in certain experiments, fatty acids alone were released by basic hydrolysis. The results indicate that basic hydrolysis gave more comprehensive information about the fatty acids, but the analysis of monosaccharides was found to be much more useful in distinguishing between different species of lactobacilli.