The influence of various production processes on the microbiology of manufactured meat products

Author: G.L. Nortje, D. Visser, W.H. Holzapfel and R.T. Naude
Year: 1979
Issue: 3
Volume: 9
Page: 177 - 183

In a survey at a meat processing factory agar sausage samples were taken at different positions on various production lines of several manufactured products viz. bacon, pork sausages, vienna sausages, russian sausages and hams. Mesophiles (37 °C/24 h) as well as psychrotrophs (5 °C/7 days) were monitored in this survey. A considerable increase in microbial counts was found for to Danish standards, were decreased by means of either a cooking or all the products during their production processes. The main cause for this increase was most probably handling during processing. The counts of the untreated products which were relatively high, according a smoking process. This reduced the counts to an acceptable level of less than 500 bacteria cm -2.The exception in this case was pork sausages where no heat treatment was applied in its production.

Keywords: manufactured, Meat, microbiology
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