Investigation of hygiene aspects of pig processing using the HACCP concept : a dissertation presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Veterinary Studies in Veterinary Public Health at Massey University

Contamination of fresh meat by pathogenic and spoilage microorganisms can occur at any stage of the slaughter process. Pathogens which are frequently found in fresh meat and which pose a public health problem include Salmonella spp. Campylobacter spp. and Yersinia spp. Contamination with spoilage bacteria affects the storage stability and shelf life of meats. Factors that contribute to meat spoilage include physical damage, biochemical changes in the meat tissues and the activity of microorganisms, of which bacteria are undoubtedly the most important. Fresh meats present a rich medium for the support of microbial growth and will ultimately be rendered unacceptable to consumers as a consequence of spoilage due to such growth. The source of spoilage bacteria can be the slaughter animals themselves, the environment, water and personnel working in the processing plants. This study was conducted to determine the effect of some processing operations on the level of contamination of the pig carcass with aerobic bacteria and to establish microbial quality control points based on the Hazards Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) principles. As a component of the HACCP system and a step in the setting up of an HACCP plan for microbial quality control of fresh carcass meat, this study aims at identifying hazards at various stages of processing, evaluating preventive measures and establishing critical control points. Where appropriate, corrective measures to ensure that bacterial contamination is within an acceptable level are recommended. The study was carried out at a processing plant in the North Island of New Zealand during the period April to July 1998. Based on observations at the plant, a flow chart of pig processing was drawn up. A number of processing stages were selected as points where potential risks of bacterial contamination were most likely to occur. These points initially included dehairing, polishing and scraping, evisceration, and inspection. Eight visits to the abattoir were made and a total of 32 paired swab samples from carcasses at each process stage were collected. With four process stages selected for sampling, the total number of samples was 128. In addition, 12 scalding tank water samples were collected for analysis. All samples were processed in the Microbiology Laboratory at Massey University. The aerobic plate count (APC) technique employing incubation at 30°C for 3 days was used for enumeration of aerobic bacteria. A matrix table was designed for entering APC data after each count. The mean of colony forming units per square cm (CFU/cm2) for pig carcass surfaces and CFU/ml for scalding water were calculated and log10 transformation was performed. The highest mean APC was found after the carcasses had passed the dehairing machine (5.1 log10/cm2, ST.D. = 0.57) and the lowest number before the dehairing step (4.31 log10/cm2, ST.D. = 0.61). A rapid increase in APC at the dehairing stage indicated a heavy recontamination of the pig carcass with bacteria from the equipment and from detritus accumulated during the operation. After the operation, the count gradually decreased to 4.4 log10/cm2, ST.D. = 0.38 at the post-evisceration point but then slightly rose again to 4.5 log10/cm2, ST.D. = 0.4 at the post-inspection step. The increase in the APC at the dehairing stage by 0.8 log10/cm2 (p = 0.0002, n = 16) is significant. There was little change in the APC at the polishing and scraping and evisceration stages. There was an insignificant difference of 0.2 log10/cm2 in the APC between samples taken at the start and at the end of the shift. The scalding water temperature fluctuated between 60°C and 67.5 °C (mean = 63.2, n = 12). Bacterial contamination of the scalding water remained almost unchanged with time (2.55 log10/ml at the beginning and 2.62 log10/ml at the end of the shift). An expected inverse correlation between scalding water counts and water temperature could not be verified. Although this study is confined to the microbiological assessment of only a few operational stages that can contribute to the storage quality of fresh pork, the results showed that recontamination of the pig carcass at the dehairing stage is serious and may pose potential safety and quality hazards. Control of bacterial contamination at this step is likely to have a beneficial effect on the microbial quality and safety of the final products. A quality Critical Control Point should be established at the dehairing step which can be considered as a safety CCP as well. However, some technological modification at this step such as installation of hot water showers to make the operation "specifically designed", may be needed to meet the criteria for establishing a CCP. At the polishing and scraping step the results of the study indicated a slight decline in bacterial numbers, provided that brushing and washing of the carcasses was done properly. Any deviation from the normal procedure e.g. inadequate water supply to the brush and scraping table, reduced frequency of hand and knife washing, or increased frequency of touching the carcass by the worker's hands, is likely to result in an increased level of bacterial contamination. Monitoring measures and corrective actions at this stage could be crucial for maintaining an effective CCP. At the evisceration step, preventive measures such as plugging or tying the anus should be considered. This step could be an important CCP for both quality and safety. Further investigations are required to assess the effect of meat inspection procedures on the spread of bacteria from multiple incisions of lymph nodes, internal organs and tonsils. If this step were to be considered a CCP, it would mainly have safety implications

Exploring the impact of elevated muscle temperature on the rate and extent of postmortem pH decline in porcine skeletal muscle

When an animal is harvested for meat, the resulting carcass is processed to provide safe and wholesome meat products for the consumer. One of these processing steps for pigs known as scalding involves heating the carcass in hot water (60ºC) in order to remove the hair. Despite its necessity, previous data from our research group has indicated that muscle temperature increases from normal body temperature of 39ºC to 43-47ºC in current commercial pigs during scalding. This rise in temperature may delay carcass chilling and be detrimental to pork quality. Therefore, the objective of this investigation was to determine the effects of increased muscle temperature early postmortem on pork quality. We hypothesized that increased muscle temperature will accelerate postmortem pH decline which is detrimental to pork quality. To test this hypothesis, samples from two glycolytic muscles (longissimus dorsi and biceps femoris) and one oxidative muscle (masseter) were collected immediately after slaughter and frozen. The tissues were powdered and homogenized into our in vitro system designed to mimic postmortem glycolysis. The homogenates were incubated in a programmable dry heating block with three different temperature programs. The temperature programs were chosen to subject the in vitro muscle homogenates to the raised muscle temperatures changes caused by scalding. Samples of the homogenate were removed at 0, 20, 40, 60, 80, 100, 120, 140, 160, 220, 250, and 1440 min for pH analysis. Increasing the temperature of longissimus dorsi and biceps femoris to 43ºC resulted in significantly faster rates of pH decline and an ultimate pH below what is desired. This suggests the longissimus dorsi and biceps femoris are susceptible to a deterioration of fresh meat quality characteristics caused by an increase in temperature early postmortem. Therefore, data from this study suggest that scalding temperature and time duration need to be reevaluated to ensure pork quality is not negatively affected.No embargoAcademic Major: Animal Science

Hallowe'en, October 31, 1994

This is the concert program of the Hallowe'en performance on Monday, October 31, 1994 at 8:00 p.m., at the Tsai Performance Center, 685 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts. Works performed were Rotae Passionis by Christopher Rouse, Leaden Echo, Golden Echo by Bruce MacCombie, Hallowe'en by Charles Ives, and Hyde and Jekyll by Jon Deak. Digitization for Boston University Concert Programs was supported by the Boston University Humanities Library Endowed Fund

Implementasi Lean Sigma Untuk Penurunan Nilai Cost of Poor Quality Kain Ekspor Kelas a (Studi Kasus : Departemen Finishing PT Mertex Indonesia)

Departemen Finishing PT Mertex Indonesia bertugas mengolah kain mentah menjadi produk kain jadi. Dalam menjalankan produksinya, Departemen Finishing masih mengalami pemborosan. Pemborosan (waste) sebagai internal failure menyebabkan cost of poor quality yang membuat Perusahaan kehilangan kesempatan untuk mendapatkan keuntungan. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah agar Perusahaan dapat meningkatkan kualitas proses produksi dan menurunkan nilai cost of poor quality dengan menggunakan pendekatan lean sigma. Tahap awal dalam penelitian adalah mengidentifikasi alur proses produksi dan menggambarkan hasilnya melalui value stream mapping (VSM). Kemudian melakukan klasifikasi aktivitas dan melakukan identifikasi waste. Jenis waste yang dipertimbangkan dalam penelitian ini adalah seven waste. Setelah itu dicari nilai cost of poor quality (COPQ) dari masing-masing waste untuk mendapatkan waste berpengaruh berdasarkan nilai COPQ yang terbesar. Setelah itu dicari akar penyebab permasalahan dengan root cause analysis (RCA) dan prioritas waste yang harus diperbaiki dengan failure mode and effect analysis (FMEA). Dari alternatif perbaikan dipilih yang terbaik menggunakan value based management berdasarkan nilai value yang tertinggi. Melalui konsep value based management didapatkan alternatif perbaikan terpilih yaitu mengganti proses pengemasan manual dengan proses pengemasan otomatis dengan membeli mesin pengemas otomatis, menjaga kestabilan rolling mesin, melakukan preventive maintenance secara teratur dan melakukan pemasangan expander roll pada roll mesin. Setelah dilakukan rekomendasi perbaikan diharapkan nilai sigma dapat meningkat dan cost of poor quality dapat menurun