Microbiological status on internal carcass surfaces of mobile slaughtered cattle in Germany

IF 2.2 3区农林科学 Q4 FOOD SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Journal of Consumer Protection and Food Safety Pub Date : 2026-04-26 DOI:10.1007/s00003-026-01608-5

Amina Barhoum, Ahmad Hamedy, Stefanie Heetjans, Carolin Käppler, Lydia Engel, Martin Koethe, Philipp Rolzhäuser

{"title":"Microbiological status on internal carcass surfaces of mobile slaughtered cattle in Germany","authors":"Amina Barhoum, Ahmad Hamedy, Stefanie Heetjans, Carolin Käppler, Lydia Engel, Martin Koethe, Philipp Rolzhäuser","doi":"10.1007/s00003-026-01608-5","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div>Mobile slaughter is increasingly used to improve animal welfare by reducing transport stress, but concerns remain about microbiological contamination due to delayed evisceration. This study assessed internal abdominal cavity surfaces of 58 cattle carcasses under routine mobile slaughter conditions in Germany by swabbing and analyzing total viable count (TVC) and the presence of Escherichia (E.) coli. Of 99 swabs, 46.5% exceeded the limit of quantification with a mean TVC of 2.42 log10 CFU/100 cm2, while E. coli was detected in only a single non-quantifiable case. No significant correlation was identified between the bacterial load and the bleeding-to-sampling interval (p = 0.76), which predominantly ranged up to 2 h. These results indicate that delayed evisceration within this timeframe does not increase microbiological contamination of internal carcass surfaces. The findings support the hygienic safety of mobile slaughter practices under the conditions studied and provide data to inform regulatory guidelines regarding evisceration timing.</div>","PeriodicalId":622,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Consumer Protection and Food Safety","volume":"21 2","pages":"189 - 196"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2000,"publicationDate":"2026-04-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s00003-026-01608-5.pdf","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of Consumer Protection and Food Safety","FirstCategoryId":"97","ListUrlMain":"https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00003-026-01608-5","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q4","JCRName":"FOOD SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Abstract

Mobile slaughter is increasingly used to improve animal welfare by reducing transport stress, but concerns remain about microbiological contamination due to delayed evisceration. This study assessed internal abdominal cavity surfaces of 58 cattle carcasses under routine mobile slaughter conditions in Germany by swabbing and analyzing total viable count (TVC) and the presence of Escherichia (E.) coli. Of 99 swabs, 46.5% exceeded the limit of quantification with a mean TVC of 2.42 log₁₀ CFU/100 cm², while E. coli was detected in only a single non-quantifiable case. No significant correlation was identified between the bacterial load and the bleeding-to-sampling interval (p = 0.76), which predominantly ranged up to 2 h. These results indicate that delayed evisceration within this timeframe does not increase microbiological contamination of internal carcass surfaces. The findings support the hygienic safety of mobile slaughter practices under the conditions studied and provide data to inform regulatory guidelines regarding evisceration timing.

Abstract Image

查看原文本刊更多论文

德国流动屠宰牛胴体内表面微生物状况

移动屠宰越来越多地用于通过减少运输压力来改善动物福利，但由于延迟取出内脏，人们仍然担心微生物污染。本研究通过擦拭和分析总活菌数（TVC）和大肠杆菌（E.）的存在，评估了德国常规流动屠宰条件下58头牛胴体的腹腔内表面。在99份拭子中，46.5%超过定量限度，平均TVC为2.42 log10 CFU/100 cm2，而大肠杆菌仅在1例不可定量病例中检出。细菌负荷与出血至采样时间间隔（p = 0.76）之间没有显著相关性（p = 0.76），主要为2小时。这些结果表明，在此时间范围内延迟开膛不会增加胴体内部表面的微生物污染。研究结果支持在所研究条件下流动屠宰操作的卫生安全性，并为有关摘除时间的监管指南提供数据。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

求助全文

约1分钟内获得全文求助全文

来源期刊

Journal of Consumer Protection and Food Safety Veterinary-Food Animals

CiteScore

3.70

自引率

4.20%

发文量

审稿时长

>12 weeks

期刊介绍： The JCF publishes peer-reviewed original Research Articles and Opinions that are of direct importance to Food and Feed Safety. This includes Food Packaging, Consumer Products as well as Plant Protection Products, Food Microbiology, Veterinary Drugs, Animal Welfare and Genetic Engineering. All peer-reviewed articles that are published should be devoted to improve Consumer Health Protection. Reviews and discussions are welcomed that address legal and/or regulatory decisions with respect to risk assessment and management of Food and Feed Safety issues on a scientific basis. It addresses an international readership of scientists, risk assessors and managers, and other professionals active in the field of Food and Feed Safety and Consumer Health Protection. Manuscripts – preferably written in English but also in German – are published as Research Articles, Reviews, Methods and Short Communications and should cover aspects including, but not limited to: · Factors influencing Food and Feed Safety · Factors influencing Consumer Health Protection · Factors influencing Consumer Behavior · Exposure science related to Risk Assessment and Risk Management · Regulatory aspects related to Food and Feed Safety, Food Packaging, Consumer Products, Plant Protection Products, Food Microbiology, Veterinary Drugs, Animal Welfare and Genetic Engineering · Analytical methods and method validation related to food control and food processing. The JCF also presents important News, as well as Announcements and Reports about administrative surveillance.