EFFECTIVENESS OF TRIMMING AND OR WASHING ON MICROBIOLOGICAL QUALITY OF BEEF CARCASSES/

Beef carcass sides (n = 48) were selected randomly on three different days in a commercial processing facility and microbiologically analyze d before being moved to the cooler. Four types of samples were obtaine d per side from the inside round area: no trim and no wash (NTNW); tri m, but no wash (TNW); trim and wash (TW), and no trim but wash (NTW). A flame-sterilized knife, forceps, and scalpel were used for each trim ming treatment and sampling. Significant differences (P < 0.05) were o bserved in mean aerobic plate counts (APCs) between treatments. The gr eatest reduction in APC (log(10) colony forming units [CFU] per cm(2)) was observed in TNW samples followed by TW and NTW, with the correspo nding mean APC reductions relative to NTNW being 3.0, 0.9, and 0.3, re spectively, indicating that trimming can be an effective control point in reducing bacterial contamination in the slaughter process. Althoug h TNW samples, had the lowest counts, samples from the same location a fter wash (TW) had counts 2 log cycles higher than TNW samples. These results indicate that washing spreads contamination to adjacent carcas s sites. However, washing of carcasses was effective in lowering micro bial populations relative to the NTNW treatment. Escherichia coli and coliform counts in all samples were low (0.03 to 0.4 log(10) CFU/cm(2) ); however, the mean E. coli or coliform count in NTNW samples was hig her (P < 0.05) than those in the rest of the treatments.