Sanitary and hygienic condition of refrigerators and facilities for storage of meat of slaughtered animals at the powers of their production and circulation
Authors: Bogatko N. M. 
Published: November 2020

The sanitary and hygienic condition of refrigeration chambers (air, walls, floors, tables/counters, refrigeration chamber hangers) in the process of production and storage of meat of slaughter animals (beef, pork, lamb and goat) at a temperature from 4 ± 2 °C to -12 °С. Indicators of qualitative and quantitative composition of air microflora of refrigerators of meat processing capacity, wholesale base at a temperature of -2… -3 ºC for 20 days, at a temperature of -12 ºC, where beef for 8 months, pork for 3 months, lamb and goat for 6 months; refrigerators, supermarket counters at a temperature of 4 ± 2 ºC for 2 days and at a temperature of -6… -8 ºC for 20 days, where the meat of slaughter animals was sold; agri-food market at a sales temperature of 0… 6 ºС and 2 days and at a temperature of 0… -1 ºС for 16 days, where the meat of slaughter animals was stored for sale. It is proved that at a temperature of -12 ºC in refrigeration chambers during storage of meat of slaughter animals at production facilities and wholesale base at relative humidity of 95 and 90 % for 3, 6 and 8 months, respectively, the content of MAFANM in the air was respectively (0.39 ± 0.04) × 102 and (0.41 ± 0.04) × 102 CFU/m3; at a temperature of -2… -3 ºC in refrigeration chambers of power and wholesale base at a relative humidity of 90 % for 20 days, respectively – (0.52 ± 0.05) × 102 (P ≤ 0.05) and (1.19 ± 0.09) × 102 CFU/m3 (P ≤ 0.001); at a temperature of -6… -8 ºC in the refrigerator at a relative humidity of 85 % of the supermarket for 20 days – (0.61 ± 0.06) × 102 CFU/m3, and at a temperature of 4 ± 2 ºC in an open refrigerator at a relative humidity 82 % for 2 days – (1.72 ± 0.08) × 102 CFU/m3 (P ≤ 0.001); at a temperature of 0… 6 ºС in the refrigerating chamber of the premises on the agri-food market at a relative humidity of 88 % and 2 days – (2.19 ± 0.11) × 102 CFU/m3, and at a temperature of 0…-1 ºС for 16 days – (1.89 ± 0.09) × 102 CFU/m3 (P ≤ 0.05). The probable dependence of the number of microorganisms on the air temperature of refrigeration chambers was determined: the lower the air temperature (-12 °С, -6…-8 °С), the higher the sanitary condition of the chambers. With increasing temperature in refrigeration chambers: 4 ± 2 ºС, 0…6 ºС and 0… -1 ºС, the average number of mold fungi in the air increased in direct proportion: 65.00 ± 1.04 CFU/m3, 103.00 ± 2.24 CFU/m3 (including 5 ± 1 Cladosporium herbarum, indicating its unsatisfactory sanitary condition) and 85.00 ± 1.13 (P ≤ 0.001) CFU/m3. At a temperature of -2… -3 °С in the refrigeration chamber of the slaughterhouse meat production capacity, the highest content of MAFANM was in the floor washes 4.48 times (P ≤ 0.001), in the walls – 2.27 times (P ≤ 0.001) and hung – 1.16 times (P ≤ 0.001) compared to the indicators in the refrigerator at a temperature of -12 °C. Using a temperature of 4 ± 2 °C in a refrigerated open window in a supermarket, the highest content of MAFANM of high probability (P ≤ 0.001) was established from the washing of objects and hands of workers within (8.23 ± 0.11) × 101 – (1,83 ± 0.06) × 102 CFU/cm2; from the objects of agro-food market premises and hands of workers at a temperature of 0… 6 ° С was in the range (1.08 ± 0.07) × 102 – (2.24 ± 0.14) × 102 CFU/cm2, which indicated their unsatisfactory sanitary condition. When using the temperature of –12 °С in the refrigeration chambers of the meat production and wholesale base, the content of MAFANM from the washes of the objects was in the range: (0.73 ± 0.04) × 10 – (1.23 ± 0,07) × 10 CFU/cm2 and (0.65 ± 0.04) × 10 – (1.42 ± 0.10) × 10 CFU/cm2 (good sanitation); for temperatures -2… -3 °С – (0.85 ± 0.05) × 10 – (5.51 ± 0.11) × 10 CFU/cm2 and (0.79 ± 0.05) × 10 – 5.29 ± 0.12) × 10 CFU/cm2 (satisfactory sanitary condition). Test cultures of bacteria of different genera were isolated from the facilities of refrigeration chambers of production facilities and wholesale base at temperatures of -12 ºС and -2… -3 ºС: Echerichia – 12.5–16.7 %; Staphylococcus aureus – up to 12.5 %, Salmonella – not detected; from the objects of refrigeration chambers of the agri-food market at room temperature 0… 6 ºС and 0… -1 ºС, knives, hands of workers: Echerichia – 41.7–50.0 %; Salmonella – 16.7–12.5 %; Staphylococcus aureus – up to 33.3–29.7 %; from supermarket facilities at the temperature of refrigeration chambers -6… -8 ºС and 4 ± 2 ºС, knives, hands of employees: Echerichia – 16.7–50.0 %; Salmonella – 12.5–16.7 %; Staphylococcus aureus – 8.3–20.8 %. There was a directly proportional increase in the contamination of meat of slaughter animals MAFANM for storage and sale in refrigerators in the supermarket at a temperature of 4 ± 2 ºC and agri-food market at a temperature of 0… 6 ºC for 2 days, respectively: in beef – (1.15 ± 0.22) × 103 and (2.26 ± 0.21) × 103 CFU/cm2; pork – (1.32 ± 0.18) × 103 and (2.81 ± 0.19) × 103 CFU/cm2; mutton – (1.09 ± 0.20) × 103 and (2.18 ± 0.22) × 103 CFU/cm2; goat meat – (1.18 ± 0.12) × 103 and (1.97 ± 0.17) × 103 CFU/cm2. Hygienic criteria of the technological process in the meat of slaughter animals were the number of colonies of aerobic microorganisms in the meat of slaughter animals from m = 3.6 log CFU/cm2 to m = 3.9 log CFU/cm2 and from M = 5.1 CFU/cm2 up to M = 5.5 CFU/cm2 (in supermarkets) and from m = 3.7 log CFU/cm2 to m = 4.4 log CFU/cm2 and from M = 5.1 CFU/cm2 to M = 5.4 CFU/cm2 (in agri-food markets); Enterobacteriaceae in meat of slaughter animals from m = 1.6 log CFU/cm2 to m = 2.0 log CFU/cm2 and from M = 2.5 CFU/cm2 to M = 3.4 CFU/cm2 (in supermarkets) and from m = 1.5 log CFU/cm2 to m = 2.3 log CFU/cm2 and from M = 3.3 CFU/cm2 to M = 3.7 CFU/cm2 (in agri-food markets). Therefore, food market operators implementing the HACCP system based on the current procedures of GMP, GHP and GLP must carry out sanitary and microbiological control of refrigeration facilities (air, floors, tables/counters, walls, hangers) of meat production facilities, wholesale bases, supermarkets and agri-food markets, as well as knives and hands of workers, which will create appropriate sanitary and hygienic conditions at these facilities, prevent contamination of meat of slaughter animals with microorganisms, its spoilage, the emergence of food poisoning.