Microbial carcass contamination during pig slaughter – a narrative overview on recent data and documentation in routine slaughter

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Abstract As production of food from animal origin is always associated with microbiological contamination, there is a possible risk for consumers to be exposed to pathogenic microorganisms. It is therefore crucial to control microbiological contamination at all process steps with appropriate measures to detect contamination as soon as possible. To evaluate the effectiveness of reduction measures integrated into the slaughtering process, a baseline of contamination needs to be defined. Therefore, this review aimed to address sampling techniques and units used to describe levels of contamination on pig carcasses in routine slaughter by means of a narrative survey. Although Salmonella, Yersinia and Campylobacter are amongst the most relevant foodborne pathogens in pork production, we focussed on indicators of process hygiene such as Total Viable Count, Enterobacteriaceae , Coliforms and Escherichia coli . To compare the selected studies and trials, stratification by sampled matrix, sampling method, process step and unit was necessary. This investigation showed a wide variety of sampling techniques within those factors, which hinders the comparability of results across different studies. Furthermore, the reporting of standard statistical metrics was often inadequate, emphasising the need to harmonise sampling techniques and methodological reporting for both scientific and practical perspectives. Therefore, this review assessed the sampling methods used at each process step and for each sampled matrix individually and identified the missing statistical metrics. Establishing this foundation is essential for selecting the most relevant matrices and methods and for developing a guide to improve data quality and comparability across future studies.

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