Microbiological Quality of Meat Collected from Municipal Slaughter Houses and Retail Meat Shops from Hyderabad Karnataka Region, India

In the present research work, 300 meat samples (50 beef, 50 carabeef, 50 chevon, 50 mutton, 50 pork and 50 chicken) collected from the municipal slaughter houses and the retail meat shops from Hyderabad Karnataka region of Karnataka state, India, were analyzed for the microbiological quality; standard plate count and isolation and confirmation of Staphylococcus, Salmonella, E. Coli, Listeria and Clostridium by selective plating, microscopic examination and biochemical characterization. As per Food Safety and Standards (FSS) regulations 2011, of the samples analyzed, 89 (29.66%) (21 beef, 26 carabeef, 9 chevon, 7 mutton, 14 pork and 7 chicken) samples exceeded the limit of 10,000 CFU/gram of total viable count. Twenty (6.66%) samples (8 beef, 9 carabeef and 3 pork) exceeded the limit for Staphylococcus (100/gram maximum), 15 (5%) samples (9 pork, 4 chicken and 2 mutton) exceeded the limit for Salmonella (absent in 25 gram) and 22 (7.33%) samples (11 pork, 4 chicken, 4 beef and 3 carabeef) exceeded the limit for E. Coli (100/gram maximum). None of the samples were positive for Listeria and Clostridium spp. The finding in this study specifies the probable contamination during farming and on-floor slaughtering and accentuates the requirement of the upgrading the municipal slaughter houses and training of retail outlet sellers.