MEAT SANITATION

According to World Health Organization; Sanitation generally refers to the provision of facilities and services for the safe disposal of human urine and feces. Inadequate sanitation is a major cause of disease world-wide and improving sanitation is known to have a significant beneficial impact on health both in households and across communities.

Meat sanitation then refers to ways of ensuring a germ free meat for consumption, here by preventing diseases that could arise from unclean meat.

WAYS OF ENSURING MEAT SANITATION

Sanitation of meat starts from when the animal is killed till when it is consumed, ways of ensuring a germ free meat for consumption include;

1. APPLICATION OF OZONE IN MEAT SANITATION

Ozone compares favorably with traditional disinfectants used in meat processing. It has a broader spectrum of efficacy than chlorine, peroxyacetic acid, acidified sodium chlorite, hydrogen peroxide and quaternary ammonia. Unlike other disinfectants, ozone will penetrate and destroy biofilm. Biofilm is endemic to cutting surfaces and processing room surfaces, and must be eliminated for reliable product safety. Ozone leaves no harmful byproducts and requires no rinsing.

Ozone can be adapted to any existing aqueous or gaseous configuration with minimal retrofit of water and power. Aqueous ozone can be utilized through sprayers, showers, or cascades and can be plumbed into a flume. Gaseous ozone can be applied into any confined storage location.

2. CLEANING AND SANITATION IN MEAT PLANTS

Periodic cleaning and sanitation, which includes disinfection of meat plant premises and equipment, is an integral part of Good Hygienic Practice (GHP, see page 341). Cleaning and sanitation can even be considered as one of the most important activities in the meat plant, as these measures provide the necessary environment for proper meat handling and processing.

Efficient meat plant cleaning and sanitation is often neglected as it requires extra work and the positive effects are not immediately visible. However, failures in meat plant hygiene can cause high financial losses in the long run. Unhygienic conditions in a meat plant result in

a.           unattractive, tasteless products

b.          spoilage of valuable food and/or

c.           food-borne diseases

3. BUYING AND STORING MEAT CAREFULLY

Check the date on all meats you purchase to ensure they are fresh. Because meats retain their freshness best when they are kept cold, try to visit the meat section last before concluding your shopping. Keep each in separate bags in order to prevent cross-contamination and be sure to put the meat away as quickly as possible when you return home. The ideal refrigerator temperature is 40 degrees Fahrenheit, with the freezer set at 0 degrees Fahrenheit.

When you do decide to cook the meat, transfer it from the freezer to the refrigerator. If you must defrost it quickly, use the microwave defrosting setting, but be sure to cook the meat quickly, as bacteria can begin growing after defrosting it.

4. CUTTING THE MEAT PROPERLY

If you need to cut your meat, use a dedicated cutting board, and if you use any other materia ensure that it is clean to prevent disase spread.

Wash your hands with soap and warm water and be sure to use separate cutting boards for each raw meat that you cut. Before cutting, wash the board with soap and water in order to eliminate any contaminants..

5. COOKING MEAT PROPERLY

The temperature for cooking meat depends on the type. According to the U.S. Food & Drug Administration, finfish, medium-rare beef steaks, roasts, veal and lamb should be cooked at 145 degrees Fahrenheit. Meats cooked to medium, raw eggs, egg dishes, pork and ground meats should be cooked at 160 degrees Fahrenheit.

Ground poultry and leftovers should be cooked at 165 degrees Fahrenheit, while poultry breast should be cooked at 170 degrees Fahrenheit. Whole poultry should be cooked at 180 degrees Fahrenheit.

Cooking each meat to its aforementioned temperature should kill parasites and bacteria. Sticking a meat thermometer all the way into the center of the meat to measure the temperature is vital to ensure it has been cooked through. Treat these temperatures as minimums; it is perfectly acceptable to cook the meat more thoroughly if that is your preference.

TYPES OF MEAT

A. Poultry and game            

1.          Chicken

2.          Duck

3.          Turkey

4.          Goose

5.          Ostrich

6.          Rabbit, e.t.c

B. Livestock  

1.          Beef

2.          Bison

3.          Dog

4.          Goat

5.          Guinea pig

6.          Horse

7.          Kangaroo

8.          Lamb and mutton

9.          Llama

10.      Pork, e.t.c

C. Fish and seafood

1.          Crab

2.          Crayfish

3.          Lobster

4.          Prawn

5.          Shrimp

6.          Catfish

7.          Mackerel

8.          Salmon

9.          Sardine

10.      Tilapia

11.      Tuna, e.t.c

PATHOGENS OF MEAT

Millions of people get sick annually from undercooked meat. Measure the internal temperature of meat using a thermometer to ensure that pathogens that cause food-borne illness have been killed. Poultry should be cooked to 165 degrees Fahrenheit, and ground meats and pork should be cooked to 160 degrees. Beef, lamb, veal and seafood need to be cooked to 145 degrees and ham to 140 degrees. Parasites are one danger, but there are four main bacteria that cause sickness from raw or undercooked meat.

A. Campylobacter

The most common cause of food-borne illness from raw meats is bacteria of the genus Campylobacter. The symptoms can include fever, headaches, diarrhea and abdominal pain. Bloody diarrhea is a more serious side effect. When it passes to the bloodstream more serious complications, and even death, can occur. The symptoms will appear two to five days after consuming the raw or undercooked meat. Illness can last seven to 10 days. Even though the bacteria can be transmitted through raw or undercooked beef or shellfish, the most common source of contamination is poultry.

B. Salmonella

There are more than 2,300 types of bacteria in the genus Salmonella, which is present in meat and poultry. The bacteria cause salmonellosis, which can result in abdominal cramping, headaches, fever, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. When the infection invades the bloodstream, it causes more serious, and possibly life-threatening, infections. Symptoms from the bacteria occur between eight and 72 hours after the infected food is consumed. The infection may last four to seven days.

C. Escherichia Coli

Escherichia coli, or E. coli, is a harmful pathogen found in raw beef. The bacteria cause vomiting, painful cramps and diarrhea, which is bloody in its most severe form. A fever is rarely present. Symptoms show up between one and eight days after the infected food is eaten. The illness lasts between five and 10 days. Patients can develop acute kidney failure, and the bacteria may cause death. A doctor should be contacted immediately when severe symptoms are exhibited.

D. Parasites

Roundworms can be transferred to people from raw or undercooked meat. Common roundworms are Anisaxis simplex, found in saltwater fish, and Trichinella spiralis, found in pork. Tapeworms are other common parasites, which are commonly passed along through raw or undercooked fish, beef and pork. Symptoms for parasites range from headaches, vomiting, nausea, muscle pains and fever.

METHOD OF PRESERVING MEAT

A. Freezing- Optimum temperature of 0* F or lower. Works by stopping Enzyme activity. Remember to always thaw meat at refrigerator temps or in a microwave, never at room temps. Frozen meats usually will last approximately 12 months for Beef, 6 months for Pork, 6-9 months for Lamb, and 3-6 months for poultry.

B. Cooking– Works by heating to high temps to kill microorganisms. There are 2 methods of this.

1, Pasteurization- Cooked to 150-170* F. Meats still must be refrigerated.

2, Sterilized- Cooked under pressure to 250*F, meats shelf stable, like canned hams, and canned meats.

C. Smoking- Grilling is cooking meat by the direct application of high heat with a gas burner or an electric heater.

Barbequing is cooking meat by the direct application of heat with charcoal or wood. The burning of the fuel adds flavor to the meat. Barbequing requires more skill since the flames must be managed to prevent burning or low temperatures.

Smoking is cooking meat by the indirect application of heat with wood at low temperatures. Low temperatures are considered around 225°. The smoke of the burning wood adds significant flavor to the meat. Due to the lower temperature, smoking meat takes a longer time than grilling or Barbequing. Using different woods leads to different flavors being imparted into the meat.

D. Sun drying- The basic traditional drying method is called sun drying, characterized by direct solar radiation and natural air circulation on the product. Meat pieces are cut into strips or flat leaf-shaped pieces as described above. They are then suspended in the open air or spread on drying trays made of fibre or wire mesh with a wooden or metallic frame. For sun drying, in particular for the suspension method, the meat is sometimes dipped in salt solution (approx. 14% common salt). This helps to limit microbial growth on the meat surfaces and protects to some extend against insects.

The sun drying method is known to have certain disadvantages, such as exposure to contamination from sources such as dirt, wind, rain, insects, rodents and birds. Quality deficiencies, such as changes in colour, off-flavours, foreign contaminating substances such as dirt and sand and even high surface microbial contamination may occur. Heavy microbial contamination can affect the meat after rehydration, when sufficient moisture for renewed bacterial growth is available, as this will lead to product deterioration and even possible food poisoning.

References

Lawrie, R. A.; Ledward, D. A. (2006). Lawrie’s meat science (7th ed.). Cambridge:          Woodhead Publishing Limited. ISBN 978-1-84569-159-2.

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"What You Eat May Influence Colon Cancer Relapse". American Cancer Society. 2007-   08-21. Archived from the original on 2008-04-19. Retrieved 2008-07-21.

Taylor, E F; Burley, V J; Greenwood, D C; Cade, J E. "Meat consumption and risk of       breast cancer in the UK Women's Cohort Study". British Journal of Cancer 96 (7):   1139–46. doi:10.1038/sj.bjc.6603689. PMC 2360120.

Health Hype: List of Human Body Parasites -- Symptoms, Pictures

USDA: Kitchen Companion

United States Department of Agriculture: Use A Food Thermometer

Center for Disease Control: Food-borne Illness

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Parasitic Disease Information

U.S. Food and Drug Administration: Safe Eats---Meat, Poultry and Seafood

Howtodothings.com: Meat Cooking---How to Avoid Food Poisoning