THE CONTRIBUTION OF CARCASS CONTAMINATION AND THE BONING PROCESS TO MICROBIAL SPOILAGE OF AEROBICALLY STORED PORK

A study was undertaken in four Australian retail boning rooms to identify the sources of pork spoilage bacteria-and to develop strategies to minimize their dissemination onto meat. Pseudomonas spp. were confirmed as the cause of microbial spoilage of refrigerated, aerobically stored pork. In the boning room environment, Pseudomonas counts were highest on the carcasses and on the surfaces which they contacted. Improvement of boning room sanitation, in particular boning hoards, was shown to reduce the contamination ofpork to levels comparable to those of the carcass from which the meat was boned. A combination of improved board sanitation and good quality carcass was shown to form a basis for extending shelf-life.