Hygienic-sanitary conditions of meat grinding-machines and handlers' hands were evaluated and the interference on the microbiologic quality of the ground meat was observed. In the meat-ground machines and handlers' hands analyses of mesophyllic aerobic microorganisms, filamentous fungi and yeasts, total and heat-tolerant coliforms, Escherichia coli and positive coagulase staphylococcus were accomplished. None of the machines fitted in the APHA standards. For the handlers, the counts of mesophyllic aerobes, positive coagulase staphylococcus, filamentous fungi and yeasts, total and heat-tolerant coliforms proved elevated. In the samples of whole and ground meat, in addition to those above-cited, analyses of Salmonella sp. psychotrophic aerobes and sulfite-reducing clostridia were performed. By comparing the results of the microbiological analyses of the meats before and after grinding and handling, an increase of the microbial count in most of the samples analyzed was found, denoting inadequate cleaning of the grinding-machines and handlers' hands.
Cross contamination; ground meat; microbiologic analysis
