Abattoir-Based Measures to Assess Swine Welfare: Analysis of the Methods Adopted in European Slaughterhouses

The assessment of swine welfare requires feasible, reliable, and reasonable indicators. On-farm evaluation of pig welfare can provide valuable information to veterinarians and farmers. However, such protocols can result expensive and time-consuming. With this regard, an interest in the appraisal of swine welfare at abattoir has grown over the recent years. In particular, the use of certain lesions collected directly from slaughtered animals to determine the welfare status of pigs has been evaluated by several authors. In the present review, the different methods developed to score lesions collected directly from the body and the viscera of animals slaughtered in European abattoirs (“abattoir-based measures”) are presented. The text specifically focuses on the methods currently available in the literature for the scoring of body, pluck and gastric lesions during post-mortem activities. Moreover, the strengths and weaknesses of abattoir-based measures schemes are discussed. To conclude, the future perspectives of the assessment of pig welfare at the slaughterhouse are described, appealing for a benchmarking system that can be systematically used by veterinarians and other professional figures involved in the process

Listeria monocytogenes Biofilms in the wonderland of food industry

The foodborne pathogen Listeria monocytogenes is a concern in food safety because of its ability to form biofilm and to persist in food industry. In this mini-review, the issue represented by this pathogen and some of the latest efforts performed in order to investigate the composition of biofilms formed by L. monocytogenes are summarized

Authentication of European sea bass according to production method and geographical origin by light stable isotope ratio and rare earth elements analyses combined with chemometrics

In this work, stable isotope ratio (SIR) and rare earth elements (REEs) analyses, combined with multivariate data elaboration, were used to explore the possibility to authenticate European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax L.) according to: i) production method (wild or farmed specimens); ii) geographical origin (Western, Central or Eastern Mediterranean Sea). The dataset under investigation included a total of 144 wild and farmed specimens coming from 17 different European areas located in the Mediterranean Sea basin. Samples were subjected to SIR analysis (carbon and nitrogen) and REEs analysis (lanthanum, europium, holmium, erbium, lutetium, and terbium). Then, Analytical data were handled by Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and then by Orthogonal Partial Last Square Discriminant Analysis (OPLS-DA), to obtain functional classification models to qualitatively discriminate sea bass according to the conditions under study. OPLSDA models provided good correct classification rate both for production method and geographical origin. It was confirmed that chemometric elaboration of data obtained from SIR and REEs analyses can be a suitable tool for an accurate authentication of European sea bass

Cadmium, lead, and mercury in two commercial squid species from the north Adriatic Sea (central Mediterranean): contamination levels and health risk assessment

In this study, lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), and total mercury (Hg) concentrations in European squids (Loligo vulgaris) and flying squids (Todarodes sagittatus) from the northern Adriatic Sea (Italy) were analyzed. The risk of the Italian population being exposed to potentially hazardous metal concentrations through the consumption of these products was also assessed. Compared to European squids, flying squids showed three times higher total Hg concentrations and one hundred times higher Cd concentrations to the point that more than 6 and 25% of the samples exceeded the maximum Hg and Cd limits established by the current legislation. From the evaluation of dietary exposure levels, it emerged that the consumption of flying squids was associated with the highest Pb intake by children and, consequently, with the lower margin of exposure values in relation to the risk of neurotoxicity (margin of exposure=33). Consumption of flying squids, especially by children, was also associated with higher intakes of Cd, inorganic, and methyl-Hg, which, respectively, accounted for 156, 113, and 23% of the tolerable weekly intakes established for these contaminants at European level. The obtained results raise concern and it may be necessary to provide specific dietary advice on the moderate dietary consumption of some cephalopod species, especially to the youngest and most vulnerable segment of the population. However, besides the highly conservative deterministic method adopted in this study, a refined consumer exposure assessment should be performed through the probabilistic methodology, which is more suitable to represent the real exposure scenario

Comparing Visual-Only and Visual-Palpation Post-Mortem Lung Scoring Systems in Slaughtering Pigs

Respiratory diseases continue to pose significant challenges in pig production, and the assessment of lung lesions at the abattoir can provide valuable data for epidemiological investigations and disease surveillance. The evaluation of lung lesions at slaughter is a relatively simple, fast, and straightforward process but variations arising from different abattoirs, observers, and scoring methods can introduce uncertainty; moreover, the presence of multiple scoring systems complicates the comparisons of different studies, and currently, there are limited studies that compare these systems among each other. The objective of this study was to compare validated, simplified, and standardized schemes for assessing surface-related lung lesions in slaughtered pigs and analyze their reliability under field conditions. This study was conducted in a high-throughput abattoir in Italy, where two different scoring methods (Madec and Blaha) were benchmarked using 637 plucks. Statistical analysis revealed a good agreement between the two methods when severe or medium lesions were observed; however, their ability to accurately identify healthy lungs and minor injuries diverged significantly. These findings demonstrate that the Blaha method is more suitable for routine surveillance of swine respiratory diseases, whereas the Madec method can give more detailed and reliable results for the respiratory and welfare status of the animals at the farm level

METHICILLIN - RESISTANT STAPHYLOCOCCUS AUREUS IN PIG PRODUCTION CHAIN

The aims of this study were (i) to estimate the prevalence of Staphylococcus aureus (S.a) in pig farm environments; (ii) to evaluate the presence of S.a in pork processing environments (iii) to detect the presence of methicillin-resistant (MRSA) among isolated strains. Samples of pig stool, farm environment and pork processing environment were collected. These samples were submitted to detection of S.a following the international method: UNI EN ISO 6888-2 and the Minimum Inhibitory Concentrations (MIC) tests were performed by using the automated VITEK 2 system. In addition, a PCR for the detection of the mecA gene was applied. Overall, S. aureus were more frequently detected from pig farms than from pork processing environments. Among the n.51 isolated strains, n. 49 (96%) were methicillin resistant (MRSA) and only n.2 strains were methicillin sensitive (MSSA). The results of the present study highlighted that further studies are needed to elucidate transmission routes of MRSA in pig production chain

The use of antimicrobials in Italian heavy pig fattening farms

Data on antimicrobial use (AMU) in heavy pig production (>150 kg) are limited. The aim of this study was to investigate the AMU in this production. Data from 2015 were collected for 143 fattening farms. The AMU was estimated through a treatment index per 100 days (TI100) using the defined daily dose animal for Italy (DDDAit). When possible, a comparison with the European Medicines Agency's defined daily doses for animals (DDDvet) was performed. The median TI100 was 10.7 (range, 0.2-49.5). Group treatments represented 94.6% of overall consumption. The AMU calculated using DDDAit and DDDvet were strongly correlated (rho = 0.976; p < 0.001). The AMU was negatively correlated with injectables use (rho = -0.46, p < 0.001) and positively correlated with oral products (rho = 0.21, p = 0.014), premixes (rho = 0.26, p = 0.002), and mortality (rho = 0.18; p = 0.027). Farm size was negatively correlated with AMU (rho = -0.29, p < 0.001). Smaller farms were more frequently above the median TI100 (odds ratio = 2.3, 95% confidence interval = 1.2-4.7), suggesting that they may have lower biosecurity and management standards. The results of this study should provide useful insights for the development of an Italian monitoring system