Salmonella spp. and Escherichia coli biotype I on swine carcasses processed under the hazard analysis and critical control point-based inspection models project

The present study examined the prevalence of Salmonella spp. and the preval ence and quantity of generic (biotype I) Escherichia coli on carcasses or i n pig feces at a pork processing plant operating under the hazard analysis and critical control point-based inspection models project (HIMP) program. The surfaces of carcasses were sponged on 10 separate days over a 30-day pe riod at two processing steps: (i) immediately following exsanguination (100 carcasses), and (ii) after the carcasses were washed, eviscerated, and chi lled overnight (122 carcasses). Feces were also collected from 60 of the 10 0 sponged, postexsanguinated pigs. Salmonella spp. were detected on 73.0% o f the 100 postexsanguinated pigs, in 33.3% of the 60 fecal samples, and on 0.7% of the 122 chilled carcasses, E. coli was found on 100.0% of the poste xsanguinated pigs and on 30.1% of chilled carcasses tested, The mean concen tration of E. coli on carcasses was 1,700 CFU/cm(2) immediately after the e xsanguination step and 1.1 CFU/cm(2) at the chilled carcass stage. Previous studies at this processing plant showed that the pre-HIMP baseline level o f Salmonella spp. on the chilled carcasses was 0.8%, indicating that the pr esent HIMP inspection system produced an equivalent level of bacteriologica l performance.