Incidence of Salmonella spp. and Listeria monocytogenes on equipment surfaces and personnel hands in meat plants

The present study was to investigate the incidence of Salmonella spp. and Listeria monocytogenes in 580 swab samples (430 contact surfaces (130 cutting equipments, 100 tables, 50 refrigerators, 150 clothes) and 150 personnel hands) that obtained from eight different meat plants in different villages of Istanbul. Salmonella spp. and L. monocylogenes were detected in 3.27% and 5.17% of samples, respectively. The highest rates of Salmonella spp. (6.0%) were found in personnel hands and L. monocytogenes (9.23%) were in cutting equipments. Moreover, among the meat plants, significant differences were found only about the incidence of L. monocytogenes on contact surfaces (P<0.05). The results indicate that meat and meat products present a potential hazard for public health and the personnel at the plant must be educated on good sanitary practices to prevent contamination and ensure applying good hygiene practices during production that emphasize sanitary effectiveness.