Microstructural characteristics of beef for treatment with detergent and disinfectants
Authors:   Bila Tserkva National Agrarian University, Bogatko N. , Mezhensky A. ,   State Research Institute of Laboratory Diagnostics and Veterinary Sanitary Examination, Lozhkina O. ,   State Research Institute of Laboratory Diagnostics and Veterinary Sanitary Examination, Kupnevska M. ,   State Research Institute of Laboratory Diagnostics and Veterinary Sanitary Examination
Published: December 2020

Treatment of slaughter animal meat with detergents and disinfectants to eliminate signs of spoilage and extend its shelf life - is one of the pressing issues to establish falsification of meat during the state risk-oriented control of chemical hazards at production facilities, storage and sales of meat of slaughter animals. Therefore, our research was the first test to establish the microstructural characteristics of beef for treatment with detergents and disinfectants. To detect the falsification of beef with detergents and disinfectants used patented express techniques, which had a probability of 99.9% in the test. The essence of detecting falsification of meat with a solution of formaldehyde (10%) was to use a mixture of nitric and sulfuric acids, which was applied to the surface of muscle tissue and set the color change: purple-red (in the presence of falsification) or yellow-brown (in the absence of falsification) ). The essence of detecting falsification of meat with a solution of hydrogen peroxide (5%) was the use of solutions of concentrated sulfuric acid and potassium iodide-starch, which were applied to the surface of muscle tissue and established the presence of light blue color (in the presence of falsification) or absence (for no falsification). The essence of detecting falsification of meat with acetic acid solution (10%) was the use of solutions of sodium hydroxide with a mass concentration of 0.1 mol/dm3 and alcohol solution of phenolphthalein with a mass concentration of 1%, which was applied to the surface of muscle tissue and established the presence of pink color (in the presence of falsification) or absence of pink color (in the absence of falsification). The essence of detecting falsification of meat with chlorine solution (chlorine activity 3%) was the use of solutions of potassium iodide with a mass concentration of 5.0%, water-soluble starch with a mass concentration of 2%, concentrated hydrochloric acid, which were successively added to the meat-water extract in a ratio of 1: 2 and set the presence of blue (in the presence of falsification) or the absence of blue (in the absence of falsification). The essence of detecting falsification of meat with a solution of potassium permanganate (5%) was to use a solution of sulfuric acid with a mass concentration of 0.5 mol/dm3, which was applied to the surface of muscle tissue and established the presence of a pale pink color (in the presence of falsification) or no pink color (in the absence of falsification). The essence of detecting adulteration of meat with alkaline detergents was to use an alcoholic solution of rosolic acid with a mass concentration of 0.25%, which was applied to the surface of muscle tissue and established the presence of light crimson color (in the presence of adulteration in the detection of alkaline detergents to 5.0%) or crimson-red color (in the presence of falsification in the detection of alkaline detergents more than 5.1%) and the presence of light yellow or brown-yellow color (in the absence of falsification). Various changes in the morphological characteristics of fresh beef of questionable degree of freshness during treatment with detergents and disinfectants, especially pathognomonic when treated with a solution of formaldehyde, potassium permanganate, acetic acid and hydrogen peroxide, and when treated with a solution of chlorine and chlorine solutions. The article presents the results of analysis of microstructural characteristics of fresh beef sold in supermarkets at a temperature of 4±2 ºC for 2 days and questionable freshness for 3−4 days, as well as treated with detergents and disinfectants. Isolated foci of coccal microflora were found in fresh beef; the structure of the nuclei of muscle fibers is clearly expressed, the color is uniform, moderate, the striation of muscle fibers is clearly expressed, the color is uniform; and in the meat of dubious freshness − noted the presence of coccal and rod-shaped microflora in the form of diffuse and focal deposits in the loose connective tissue of superficial fascia, in premixes and endomysias, the structure of muscle fiber nuclei in the state of dissolution, unevenly colored, in places muscle fibers. During the treatment of fresh and dubious fresh beef with formaldehyde solutions (10%) it was found: the appearance in the cytoplasm of cells of small dark brown-yellowish grains of crystalline form; hydrogen peroxide (5%): discoloration of pigments in cells, destruction of muscle fibers, their corrugation, accumulation of fine-grained porous protein mass in the intermuscular space; acetic acid (10%): violation of tissue architecture, in places destruction and lysis of myofibrils and diffuse accumulation between them of a homogeneous mass of protein origin with its subsequent "gelatinization" and partial solution; chlorine solution (chlorine activity 3%): in places microcracks and defibering of myofibrils with formation of cavities between them, insignificant discoloration of pigments in cells were noted; potassium permanganate (5%): the structure of muscle fibers is not preserved, the color is uneven, saturated, there are areas of lysis, sometimes microcracks and fragmentation, edema of intermuscular connective tissue; alkaline detergents: slight discoloration of cell pigments, the presence of microcracks of muscle fibers, edema of connective tissue elements. It should be noted that the timely detection by express methods at the facilities for the circulation of beef, which was treated with detergents and disinfectants, was confirmed by microstructural studies. Therefore, due to food fraud due to accidental contamination or intentional treatment with chemical reagents, it is necessary to assess these risks through the VACCP system.