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A Survey of the Hygienic Quality of Beef and Pork Carcasses in Norway

Hygienisk kualitet av storfe- og svineslakt i Norge

Abstract

The bacteriological quality of beef and pig carcasses was assessed at 9 Norwegian abattoirs by sampling 10 carcasses at multiple sites on each of several visits. On beef carcasses the following sites consistently carried higher numbers of bacteria: the Brisket, the Fore-ribs, the Flank groin, and the Round medial. There was no evidence that beef slaughter and dressing in the hanging position was superior to methods where the carcass was lying until the hide puller. On pork carcasses the Cheek, and the Abdomen lateral surface (belly) were most heavily contaminated. The hygienic quality of pork carcasses in abattoirs where singeing was a separate step tended to be better than where a combined singeing and dehairing machine was used.

This survey suggests that bacteriological monitoring of slaughter at this level of sampling and visiting is able to detect consistently poor hygienic practices.

Where direct comparisons with data from other countries could be made, the present investigation indicates that the bacterial counts on Norwegian beef and pork carcasses are of the same order or better.

Sammendrag

Den bakteriologiske kvaliteten på storfe- og griseslakt ble under-søkt ved 9 norske slakterier. H vert slakteri ble besøkt flere ganger, og ved h vert besøk ble 10 storfe og 10 griseslakt undersøkt. På storfe var følgende steder på slaktet gjennomgående mest forurenset: brystet, ryggen, buken og innsiden av låret. Det ble ikke funnet at hengende storfeslakting hygienisk sett var bedre enn metoder hvor slaktet ligger inntil hudavtrekket. På gris var kinnet og buken mest forurenset. Den hygieniske kvaliteten på gris i slakterier livor sviingen ble utført som eget trinn, synes å være bedre enn der hvor det ble brukt en kombi-nert s vi- og skrapemaskin.

Der de metodiske forhold tilla der en direkte sammenligning mel-lom resultater, tyder foreliggende undersøkelse på at den bakteriologiske kvaliteten på norske storfe- og griseslakt er den samme eller noe bedre enn i en del andre land.

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Johanson, L., Underdal, B., Grøsland, K. et al. A Survey of the Hygienic Quality of Beef and Pork Carcasses in Norway. Acta Vet Scand 24, 1–13 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1186/BF03546753

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