[Changes in the microbial picture during the production of poultry salami]

Changes in microbiological parameters during the production of fine poultry salami was monitored in a private poultry-processing plant in Kosice within a period of six months. This product consists of meat paste or mechanically deboned poultry meat (MDPM), which is produced with the help of a Protecon MPB 30 E deboning machine, pork trimmings, water (in the form of crushed ice), salt, spices, and garlic paste. The main raw food material (hand-boned meat and skin from poultry carcasses intended for mechanical deboning), MDPM immediately after production, salted MDPM after its 24-hour-storage and ripening in the chiller, pork trimmings added to MDPM at an amount of 25%, prepared salami emulsion, and the final product (fine poultry salami) were examined for the presence of pathogenic and potentially pathogenic microorganisms. The total plate count, the counts of indicatory microorganisms (Coliforms and Enterococci), Staphylococci, psychrotrophic, proteolytic and lipolytic bacteria were also determined according to the Slovak government regulations. The results of the quantitative microbiological examination are shown in Figs. 1 and 2. It follows from them that the microbial load of poultry skin is considerably higher than that of hand-boned meat. During the deboning process an increase in all microbial parameters (on average by 1-3 radices) was noticed as compared with the raw food material (defrosted poultry carcasses before the mechanical deboning). MDPM contained 10(4)-10(7) CFU/g; the count of coliforms ranged between 10(3) and 10(6)/g; the count of proteolytic and lipolytic bacteria between 10(4) and 10(6)/g; the count of Staphylococci and Enterococci between 10(2) and 10(4)/g. Staphylococcus aureus was discovered in about 50% samples of MDPM in an average concentration of 10(2)/g. In addition to the groups of bacteria listed above, a wide range of potentially pathogenic microorganisms belonging to the family Enterobacteriaceae, especially those of the genus Proteus, Escherichia coli, Citrobacter and Providencia, was also found in MDPM. In four cases Salmonella enteritidis was also detected in the samples of both the skin of chicken carcasses and the MDPM. The nitrate salting mixture added at a concentration of 2% did not significantly reduce the counts of bacteria present in the MDPM. The prepared salami emulsion was very high in all groups of microorganisms, which was also caused by the addition of pork trimmings. This component seems to be a very important source of microbial contamination, showing the following average bacterial counts: total plate count 4.8 x 10(6)/g, the count of psychrotrophic bacteria 1.0 x 10(6)/g, the count of coliforms 7.0 x 10(5)/g, the count of Enterococci 9.2 x 10(3)/g, the count of Staphylococci 3.0 x 10(4)/g, the count of proteolytic microorganisms 2.7 x 10(5)/g, and the count of lipolytic microorganisms 4.2 x 10(5)/g. However, heat treatment of the final product reliably and almost completely devitalized all the bacteria found in the salami emulsion before heat processing. No pathogenic or potentially pathogenic bacteria were detected in any sample of fine poultry salami. Quite a high number of bacteria in the salami emulsion was reduced by heat treatment to a final average value of 10(2)/g.