Thesis:

Study of hygiene standards in the stages of livestock slaughterhouses in eastern Mazandaran and their relationship with reducing microbial contamination

The presence of a control system in the slaughterhouse is essential. There must be sufficient facilities and experts to constantly monitor the quality of animal slaughter hygiene in the slaughterhouse. Livestock slaughterhouses play an important role in the hygienic meat production chain. Principled slaughter and compliance with hygiene standards have a great impact on reducing carcass contamination, resulting in consumer health and increasing the shelf life of the carcass. The aim of this study is to investigate these hygiene standards and slaughter hygiene in one of the livestock slaughterhouses in Iran. In this study, the effects of various factors such as slaughter stages, the degree of cleanliness of the external covering, the age and sex of the animal, and the time of slaughter on the microbial contamination of the carcasses were evaluated using microbial sampling from the carcasses, and then the sanitary status of cattle slaughter was examined using standard checklists. 19 carcasses and a total of 57 samples were prepared from the surface of the carcasses for microbial studies, including the enumeration of aerobic mesophilic bacteria, enterobacteriaceae, and cold-tolerant bacteria. The examination of the amount of bacterial contamination in different samples showed that the contamination increased in the second station compared to the first, and the cause can be seen in the slaughter process. After the final washing, the number of bacteria in the carcass also decreased. The effect of age and gender on the level of contamination was not significant. Also, a significant positive correlation was recorded between the number of enterobacteriaceae and the enumeration of aerobic mesophilic bacteria and cold-tolerant bacteria (P<0.05). The structure of the slaughterhouse and halls and the condition of slaughtering equipment and disinfectants were the most important issues that needed improvement. According to the results of this study, the amount of microbial counts was relatively high, and the health education of the staff is considered to be a fundamental factor in improving the hygiene of cattle slaughter in the studied slaughterhouse.

Keywords: Keywords: Cattle slaughter, microbial contamination, slaughter hygiene, checklist, slaughterhouse