COMPARISON OF 3 SAMPLING TECHNIQUES FOR MICROBIOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF MEAT SURFACES

Efficiencies of three surface sampling techniques were compared for estimating total aerobic microflora, total coliform, fecal coliform and Escherichia coli. They were: stomaching excised skin (a destructive technique), direct agar contact and double moist swab (nondestructive techniques). Thirty ovine carcasses were evaluated for surface contamination, with sampling on three different dates. Difference between the three methods of sampling was significant for all bacterial groups evaluated. Stomaching excised skin recovered the highest number of bacteria. Moreover, significant differences in counts were observed with periods of sampling. For total aerobic microflora, counts appeared to be influenced by both sampling technique and sampling date.