The impact of extrinsic sources on selected indicator organisms in a typical deboning room

Meat is a highly perishable product and the microbiological safety thereof is an extremely important issue for both the consumer and the meat industry. In this study, samples were randomly collected from various working surfaces, from raw meat and from the air in the deboning room of a high throughput red meat abattoir. The samples were analysed for the presence of total staphylococci counts as well as for total viable counts. The mean staphylococci counts from working surfaces were 19 CFU x cm(-2), and the staphylococci levels for the meat samples were well below the proposed maximum limit of 100 CFU x g(-1). Maximum staphylococcal bioaerosol counts of 10 CFU x m(-3) were also enumerated. Total viable counts from the workers' hands and working surfaces were high compared to the staphylococcal levels. Twelve staphylococci species were identified from the samples used in this study. Recontamination during the deboning process was identified as the major source of contamination, suggesting proper implementation of quality processing practices within the abattoir environment.