Prevalence and characterisation of Cryptosporidium species in cattle faeces and on beef carcases at slaughter.

Cattle are known reservoirs and asymptomatic excretors of Cryptosporidium, a protozoan parasite that causes severe and protracted diarrhoea in people. The incidence of Cryptosporidium was investigated in 288 matched samples taken from beef carcases of 1 g samples of faeces retrieved immediately after de-legging, 25 cm2 samples of beef excised from the rump of uneviscerated carcases, and 25 cm2 samples of beef excised from the brisket area of eviscerated carcases. Cryptosporidium species were detected in 21 of the faecal samples after salt flotation and immunofluorescent microscopy.

Effect of pelvic suspension and cooking method on the processing and sensory properties of hams prepared from two pork muscles.

The effect of two hanging methods (Achilles and aitch-bone) and two cooking methods (normal and Delta-T (ΔT)) on the quality of cooked hams produced from two muscles, M. semimembranosus (topside) and M. biceps femoris (silverside) was examined.

The effect of thermal treatments on the viability and infectivity of Cryptosporidium parvum on beef surfaces.

Aims: The aim of this research was to examine the effect of thermal treatments on the viability and infectivity of Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts attached to a beef surface.

Methods And Results: This study examined the effects of heat treatment (60 or 75 degrees C) on the viability of C. parvum oocysts inoculated onto the surface of beef muscle estimated by vital dye assay.

Characterisation of E. coli O157 isolates from bovine hide and beef trimming in Irish abattoirs by pulsed field gel electrophoresis.

Escherichia coli O157 isolates from bovine hide (n=117) and beef trimmings (n=32) from a single abattoir were examined by pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Using BioNumerics software, dendrograms of isolates from each sample type (i.e.

Microbiological carcass sampling methods to achieve compliance with 2001/471/EC and new hygiene regulations.

The aim of this research was to evaluate the effectiveness of excision versus swabbing as methods for the assessment of bovine and ovine carcass hygiene. Microbiological evaluation of bovine and ovine carcasses was performed by obtaining total viable counts (TVCs) and total Enterobacteriaceae counts (TECs) using excision and a swab (polyurethane) sampling method. Four anatomical locations were sampled on 30 bovine and 30 ovine carcasses, processed in four small (<10 animals per week) abattoirs.

Horizontal transmission of Escherichia coli O157:H7 during cattle housing.

Ruminant livestock, particularly cattle, is considered the primary reservoir of Escherichia coli O157:H7. This study examines the transmission of E. coli O157:H7 within groups of cattle during winter housing.

Parent and harvest year effects on near-infrared reflectance spectroscopic analysis of olive (Olea europaea L.) fruit traits.

The influence of parent and harvest year on the determination of oil, moisture, oleic acid, and linoleic acid contents in intact olive fruit was studied by near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). Spectral data from 400 to 1700 nm were recorded on 437 fruit samples collected in 1996 and 1997 from seedling plants derived from three different female parents. Partial least squares models were developed using samples for each year and for each female parent separately and were validated against the other groups.

Effect of a commercial freeze/tempering process on the viability of Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts on lean and fat beef trimmings.

Lean and fat beef trimmings (25 cm(-2)) were inoculated with approximately 250,000 Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts, placed in commercial packages (28 kg boxes) and subjected to normal commercial processes i.e. blast frozen (to -20 °C within 60 h), stored (-20 °C, 21 days), tempered (48 h at -3 °C), and held at 0 °C for 10 h.

Cryptosporidium and its potential as a food-borne pathogen.

Cryptosporidium species are intestinal protozoan parasites and are excreted in animal feces as stable oocysts. Cryptosporidium has now been detected in the feces of a wide range of ruminant and non-ruminant farmed animals, wild animals, domestic pets and birds and the parasite appears to be well adapted to survive and persist in feces for extended periods, ranging from several weeks to many months. Because of this persistence, these materials are important as potential vehicles of transmission within herds, farms, the water chain, the fresh food chain, and the wider environment.

Decreasing variation in the eating quality of beef through homogenous pre- and post-slaughter management.

The objective of this experiment was to determine the effectiveness of current "best-practise" management of steers pre- and post-slaughter in reducing variation in the eating quality of beef. Steers sired by one Belgian Blue bull from Holstein-Friesian cows were managed optimally from birth to slaughter. Animals were slaughtered at target body weights and subcutaneous fat scores of 620 kg and 4L (LH) (n=23) or 720 kg and 4H (HH) (n=24).

Microbial contamination on beef in relation to hygiene assessment based on criteria used in EU Decision 2001/471/EC.

Thirty-six carcasses were sampled over a 12-month period at an Irish beef abattoir. Between one and five carcass sites (including the hock, brisket, cranial back, bung, inside round and outside round) were sampled after hind leg skinning, hide removal, bung tying, evisceration, splitting, washing, chilling for 24 h and boning, using a wet and dry, cotton wool swab technique. For each sample, total viable counts (TVC), Escherichia coli, total coliforms and Enterobacteriaceae were enumerated.

RAPID detection and quantification of E. coli O157/O26/O111 in minced beef by real-time PCR.

Aim: To develop a real-time PCR detection procedure for Escherichia coli O111, O26 and O157 from minced meat.

Methods And Results: Strains (n = 8) of each of E. coli O26, E.

Determination of potential inherent variability when measuring beef quality.

Probes, which can be used on-line to rapidly and efficiently detect beef quality attributes (colour and tenderness), are currently being considered to predict ultimate beef quality. The contribution of the inherent sampling variability (due to factors such as muscle location) needs to be evaluated in order to optimise the sampling procedure for these measurements. The main objective of this trial was to monitor some sampling factors which may contribute to variation in pH and various quality attributes in bovine M.

The use of a marked strain of Pseudomonas fluorescens to model the spread of brain tissue to the musculature of cattle after shooting with a captive bolt gun.

Aims: The aim of this study was to use a marked strain of Pseudomonas fluorescens to model the spread of central nervous system (CNS) tissue in cattle following captive bolt stunning.

Methods And Results: The marked organism was introduced by injection through the captive bolt aperture immediately after stunning and was subsequently detected in a wide range of derived tissues, including blood, organs, and the musculature of the entire forequarters of test animals. This was dependent on the use of high concentrations of the organism that were recovered sufficiently and rapidly to minimize the bactericidal properties of the circulatory system.

Studies to determine the critical control points in pork slaughter hazard analysis and critical control point systems.

Aerobic mesophilic counts (AMC), coliform (CC) and coliform resuscitation counts (CRCs) were obtained by swabbing 50 cm(2) areas at three sites (ham, belly and neck) on pig carcasses, after each of seven stages of the slaughter/dressing process (bleeding, scalding, dehairing, singeing, polishing, evisceration and chilling). In most cases, there were no statistical differences (P>0.05) among the counts derived by these three methods.

Detection and quantification of apple adulteration in diluted and sulfited strawberry and raspberry purées using visible and near-infrared spectroscopy.

Adulteration of sulfited strawberry and raspberry purées by apple is a commercial problem. Strawberry (n = 31) and raspberry (n = 30) purées were prepared from Irish-grown fruit and adulterated at levels of 10-75% w/w using cooking apples. Visible and near-infrared transflectance spectra were recorded using a 0.

Initial study of honey adulteration by sugar solutions using midinfrared (MIR) spectroscopy and chemometrics.

Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and attenuated total reflection (ATR) sampling have been used to detect adulteration of honey samples. The sample set comprised 320 spectra of authentic (n = 99) and adulterated (n = 221) honeys. Adulterants used were solutions containing both d-fructose and d-glucose prepared in the following respective weight ratios: 0.

Dissemination of central nervous system tissue from the brain and spinal cord of cattle after captive bolt stunning and carcass splitting.

In the absence of reliable live animal tests for the presence of BSE in cattle, a number of measures have been applied to exclude specified risk materials (SRM) from the human food chain. However, concerns remain that current practices in the stunning and slaughter of cattle may disseminate central nervous system (CNS) tissue to meat and meat contact surfaces. The objective of this study was to establish the particular risks of CNS tissue dissemination associated with captive bolt stunning and carcass splitting.

Optimization of enrichment and plating procedures for the recovery of Escherichia coli O111 and O26 from minced beef.

Aim: Optimization of enrichment media and selective agars for the detection of Escherichia coli O26 and O111 from minced beef.

Methods And Results: This study compared a number of different enrichment conditions and plating media for the recovery of E. coli O26 and E.

The effects of treating bovine hide with steam at subatmospheric pressure on bacterial numbers and leather quality.

Aims: To examine the effect of subatmospheric steam treatment on total viable counts (TVCs) on bovine hide and on the quality of derived leather.

Methods And Results: Pieces of bovine hide were heated to 75 degrees C (+/-2 degrees C) (n = 3) or 80 degrees C (+/-2 degrees C) (n = 3) for periods of 1, 10 or 20 s by the application of steam at subatmospheric pressure in a laboratory scale apparatus. Treated hide pieces and untreated controls were tanned and the quality of leather was assessed.

Preliminary evaluation of a lateral flow immunoassay device for screening urine samples for the presence of sulphamethazine.

A lateral flow immunoassay (LFIA) device was developed and applied to testing urine samples for residues of the antimicrobial sulphamethazine (SMZ). This report describes the preparation of a rat monoclonal antibody to SMZ and its characterisation in an ELISA format. Apart from SMZ, the antibody showed high (> or =50%) cross-reactivity to N4-acetyl-sulphamethazine (55%), sulphamerazine (59%) and sulphisoxazole (50%) and lower cross-reactivity of 18% to sulphachlorpyridazine and sulphadiazine.

Release of protein-bound residues of thiabendazole from liver.

Tissue-bound residues of thiabendazole (TBZ), a veterinary anthelmintic and postharvest fungicide, are formed when this compound is incubated with rabbit hepatocytes or administered to mice or pigs. Several pretreatment steps were investigated for removing free TBZ and metabolites prior to the release of bound residues, and three procedures were evaluated for the release of bound residues from solvent-extracted rabbit hepatocytes: incubation under acidic conditions, enzymatic action using cystathionine beta-lyase, and Raney nickel desulfurization. Immunoaffinity chromatography utilizes monoclonal antibodies capable of binding TBZ or its 5-hydroxy metabolite enabled isolation of crossreactive residue fractions.

The prevalence and spread of Escherichia coli O157:H7 at a commercial beef abattoir.

Aims: To investigate the prevalence and virulence characteristics of Escherichia coli O157:H7 after a number of beef process operations at a commercial Irish abattoir.

Methods And Results: Two 12-month studies were carried out. The first study (study 1) examined the prevalence of E.

Decontamination of pork carcasses during scalding and the prevention of Salmonella cross-contamination.

Aims: The objective of this study was to establish critical temperature limits to prevent cross-contamination of pork carcasses during scalding.

Methods And Results: Mixtures of antibiotic-resistant mutants of Salmonella species were heat treated at 50, 55 and 60 degrees C in samples of commercial scald tank water. Surviving cell numbers were estimated by plating treated suspensions on (i).

Verocytoxigenic Escherichia coli in animal faeces, manures and slurries.

Animal wastes and effluents from farming operations, including manures and slurries, are frequently applied as fertilizer to land used for crop or silage production and cattle grazing. It is well documented that potentially harmful pathogens including verocytoxigenic Escherichia coli (VTEC) are shed in animal faeces and there is growing concern in many countries about the number of sporadic and outbreak cases of VTEC attributable to direct contact with faecal material either as a result of handling contaminated mud in fields or ingestion of produce grown in contaminated manures or slurries. VTEC has been detected in the faeces of ruminant and non-ruminant farmed animals, wild animals, domestic pets and birds and the pathogen appears to be well adapted to survive in animal faeces and can persist for extended periods ranging from several weeks to many months.