Microbiological condition of carcasses and equipment in a pig slaughterhouse and evaluation of a steam decontamination system

The microbiological conditions of the environment and carcasses in a commercial pig slaughter facility were examined. Environmental samples collected during the slaughtering, and after the cleaning and disinfection procedures showed that sanitization did not always significantly decrease the number of bacteria. Microbial counts on carcasses were higher than those indicated in the Decision 2001/471/CE. These data suggest that general hygiene standards alone are not sufficient to ensure food safety. To evaluate the effectiveness of steam pasteurization, a pilot-plant process which exposes the carcasses to steam was developed and tested. Eighty-six carcasses were sampled. After treatment, mesophilic counts on carcasses were significantly reduced (up to 2.26 log(10) CFU/cm(2)). The current study verifies that the scaled-up commercial decontamination system is very effective in reducing the levels of natural mixed flora on surfaces of commercially slaughtered pig carcasses.