A review of microbial hazards associated with meat processing in butcheries

Evaluation of Meat Safety Practices and Hygiene among Different Butcheries and Supermarkets in Vhembe District, Limpopo Province, South Africa

Good hygienic practices are required to reduce the risk of microbial contamination during meat processing. We evaluated good hygiene and meat safety practices among different village butcheries (6), commercial butcheries (8), and supermarkets (18) through direct personal observations. The supermarkets and commercial butcheries wore personal protective equipment (PPE) and used proper waste procedures. Moreover, there were pest control devices, a safe water supply, and staff handling money away from meat. At village butcheries, wearing hairnets and aprons, and the display of raw meat being separate from offal were identified as good practices. The irregular washing of hands (67%), less use of gloves (83%), wearing of open sandals (67%) and jewelry (33%), use of the same coat for different activities (100%), lack of paper towels (100%) and pest control devices (67%) and mismanagement of waste (33%) were practices that led to unsafe meat handling. Our study identified good meat safety practices at supermarkets. A combination of good and unhygienic meat handling practices were identified at commercial and village butcheries. These findings suggest a need for intervention through training on food safety in order to improve the hygienic practices of meat handling along the beef supply chain, more especially in commercial and village butcheries.

Dynamic changes of the bacterial communities in roast chicken stored under normal and modified atmosphere packaging

This study systematically investigated the dynamic changes in bacterial communities in roast chicken in normal and modified atmosphere packaging (MAP). The samples were stored under normal atmosphere and 40%/60% CO₂ /N₂ MAP conditions for 28 days at 4 °C. Changes in the number and type of microorganisms in roast chicken during storage were defined via cultural and 16S rDNA sequencing techniques. More Bacteroides, Chryseobacterium, Lactobacillus, and Acinetobacter than other bacteria were initially found in roast chicken. With normal packaging, Pseudomonas rapidly multiplied and became the main spoilage organism in roast chicken after 7 days, with a relative abundance of >90% of the entire bacterial flora. With MAP, due to the high salt content, Halomonas became the main spoilage organism in roast chicken by the middle of the storage period (14 days). Between days 21 and 28 of storage, Pseudomonas gradually became the main spoilage organism in roast chicken, but its relative abundance was much lower in MAP than in normal packaging, followed by Lachnospiraceae (NK4A136 group) and Altererythrobacter. Our research shows that the microbes in roast chicken mainly originated from the processing environment and operators. The combination of MAP with a low storage temperature could effectively improve the quality and safety of roast chicken meat. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: This research showed the dynamic changes in the bacterial community of roast chicken stored under normal and modified atmosphere packaging (MAP). Microorganisms in roast chicken are mainly obtained from the processing environment and operators. Combining MAP with storage at low temperatures can effectively improve the quality and safety of roast chicken.