Detection of Bacterial Levels on Meat for Public Consumption in Samoa

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  • AIOLUPO Tony
    Department of Animal and Food Hygiene, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine
  • TAULEALO Sina
    Animal Production and Health Division, Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Apia, Samoa
  • SEKIKAWA Mitsuo
    Department of Animal and Food Hygiene, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine
  • HAN Kyu-Ho
    Department of Food Science, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine
  • FUKUSHIMA Michihiro
    Department of Food Science, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine
  • SHIMADA Kenichiro
    Department of Food Science, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine

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  • サモアにおける食肉衛生の現状

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Abstract

<p>To evaluate the hygiene of meat in Samoa, we have investigated the surface microbiological profiles (Escherichia coli, coliform, and aerobic bacteria) of meat [beef carcasses (n=180), retail beef (n=18), and imported meat (n=20)] available for public consumption in Samoa. The study was supported by the University of the South Pacific and the Samoan Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries in March 2010 and April 2011, respectively, and used 3M™ Petrifilm™ agar plates for bacterial enumeration. Mean total coliform counts for all meat samples tested were more than 2 log CFU/cm2, which is within the suspect or marginal range under Australian, New Zealand, EU, and USDA meat standards for beef. Thirty-two percent of samples had aerobic bacteria plate counts of more than 5 log CFU/cm2, and this level is generally considered to issue warning signals for meat hygienic practices and systems to be urgently improved. Retail beef and imported meat were defined as unhygienic based on mean total coliform counts of more than 2 log CFU/cm2. The imported meats originated from New Zealand, Australia, and the USA, and the microbiological counts we observed would be considered unhygienic by the standards of those countries. Overall, the study findings suggested prevailing undesirable aseptic conditions of the meat supply chain in Samoa and provide scientific evidence to support the construction of the hazard analysis critical control point (HACCP)-regulated abattoir currently proposed by the Government of Samoa.</p>

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