WHITE PAPER • The use of automatised slaughter lines – these lower the risk of carcass surface contamination by ensuring that carcasses don’t come into contact with the floor, as floors are among the most contaminated surfaces in the slaughterhouse. and reduce the manual activities associated with the surface of the carcass, e.g. removal of abdominal fat or condemned parts of the carcass, which are largely responsible for the spreading of Salmonellas as the tools and hands of the workers get contaminated easily and result in cross-contamination of the carcass. If manual operations are employed the tools used should be cleaned frequently, by immersion in water at ~82°C, and staff should be trained in personnel hygiene practices including good hand hygiene and frequent changing of gloves. • Correct evisceration without piercing or tearing the intestines - key to avoiding the spread of the contamination. • Hot water carcass rinsing – has been shown to significantly reduces carcass contamination (Gill et al., 1995; 1997) • Rapid carcass chilling is critical to minimise bacterial proliferation (Spescha et al., 2006). • Cleaning of the tools and working surfaces in the butchering room - to eliminate organic matter in the saws and de-rinders throughout the day (clean as you go) and with a deep clean at the end of the day. Staff should be trained in personnel hygiene practices including good hand hygiene and frequent changing of gloves. • Microbiological sampling at all stages as an indication of process hygiene and the presence of Salmonella. Positive results should trigger review and amendment of hygiene practices. Additional practices, including anal bunging before scalding, optimisation of scalding and singeing at ~63°C (to ensure bacterial inactivation but prevent skin lesions), regular changing of scald tank water, and decontamination of de-hairing machines, which can re-contaminate the carcasses with accumulated organic matter containing Salmonellas, should also be considered. CLEANING AND DISINFECTION IN PIG PROCESSING Key to the control of microbial cross-contamination from the environment to the pig carcass is regular and effective cleaning and disinfection. “Cleaning” refers to the removal of debris, such as dirt, fat and protein particles, and microorganisms from surfaces, walls, floors, tools and equipment.In raw meat processing cleaning, can be achieved in a number of different ways including: • Manual dry cleaning • Manual wet cleaning • High-pressure wet cleaning – Not recommended as these create aerosol clouds and spread water droplets (and thus contamination) over great distances. • Use of cleaning chemicals (detergents). These can be used in conjunction with wet cleaning methods. Vikan A/S - Department of Research & Development 04 Copyright © 2013 Vikan A/S · All Rights Reserved
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