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Plant-Level Microbiological Food Quality and Operational Food Protection Indicators in a Taiwanese Chilled Meat
Nai-Chen Chi1, Ying-Jang Lai2, Wei-Hsuan Hsu3
1Institute of Food Safety and Risk Management, College of Life Sciences, National Taiwan Ocean University, Keelung 202301, Taiwan.
Journal of Food Protection
|May 9, 2026
Summary
This study shows that implementing stricter monitoring, hygiene, and operational changes in a chilled meat SME significantly improved microbiological food quality and reduced defects. Routine plant records effectively track food protection performance over time.
Area of Science:
- Food Science
- Microbiology
- Food Safety
Background:
- Limited longitudinal data exists on microbiological food quality and safety performance in chilled meat processing SMEs.
- Assessing food protection performance in these enterprises is crucial for public health and industry standards.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze longitudinal plant-level data on microbiological quality and food protection performance in a Taiwanese chilled meat processing SME.
- To evaluate the effectiveness of operational changes on key food safety indicators.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective observational study using archived monthly records from 2019-2020.
- Analysis of microbiological data (Total Plate Count, coliforms, E. coli) for hot pot pork slices.
- Evaluation of operational indicators: defect rate and shipment-adjusted returns.
Main Results:
- Microbiological counts (TPC, coliforms, E. coli) decreased significantly in the second year (by 13.2%, 60.9%, 53.6% respectively).
- Shipment volume increased by 15.5% concurrently with improvements in defect and return rates.
- Plant changes included intensified monitoring, broader sampling, supplier changes, split shifts, and enhanced hygiene.
Conclusions:
- Routine plant records are valuable for retrospective evaluation of microbiological food quality and operational food protection in chilled meat SMEs.
- Implementing comprehensive operational and hygiene improvements can lead to enhanced food safety performance.
- The study demonstrates a feasible approach for SMEs to monitor and improve their food safety practices.
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