A note on microbial spoilage of sheep meat at ambient temperature

Shelf-life and microbial spoilage of sheep carcass meat at ambient temperature under commercial conditions were studied. The initial bacterial count of carcasses ranged 5.6-5.8 log/cm2. Staphylococcus spp. (48%) predominated in the initial microflora of carcasses followed by Micrococcus spp. (19%) and Escherichia spp. (12%). Microbial spoilage of carcasses occurred around 20 h when the bacterial count reached 8.0-9.0 log/cm2. Thus the shelf life of carcasses at ambient temperature was 19 h. The predominant micro-organisms at the time of spoilage were Escherichia and 'Acinetobacter-like' organisms. It was also observed that Enterobacter, Pseudomonas and Staphylococcus spp. could form a major part of the final flora. The presence of Escherichia and Staphylococcus spp. in higher percentages on the surface of carcasses at the time of spoilage presents the scope for health hazards.