Meat spoilage
The spoilage of meat occurs, if the
bacteria and fungi, which are borne by the animal itself, by the people handling the meat, and by their implements. Meat can be kept edible for a much longer time – though not indefinitely – if proper hygiene is observed during production and processing, and if appropriate food safety, food preservation and food storage
procedures are applied.
Infection
The organisms spoiling meat may infect the animal either while still alive ("endogenous disease") or may contaminate the meat after its slaughter ("exogenous disease").
Infected meat, however, should be eliminated through systematic meat inspection in
abattoir, notably the hides and soil adhering to them, water used for washing and cleaning, the dressing implements and the slaughterhouse personnel.[4]
Bacterial
genera commonly infecting meat while it is being processed, cut, packaged, transported, sold and handled include Salmonella spp., Shigella
spp.,
molds commonly infecting meat are Penicillium, Mucor, Cladosporium, Alternaria, Sporotrichium and Thamnidium.[6]
As these microorganisms colonize a piece of meat, they begin to break it down, leaving behind
gut is normally an effective barrier.[5]
Testing
The presence of infectious agents can be detected with a number of tests during the production and processing of meat, but testing by itself is not sufficient to ensure adequate
Symptoms
Microbial spoilage
Depending on oxygen availability, meat spoilage by micro-organisms can manifest itself as follows:[8]
| Oxygen | Microbial agent | Symptoms |
|---|---|---|
| Present | Aerobic bacteria
|
|
| Present | Yeasts |
|
| Present | Molds
|
|
| Absent | Anaerobic bacteria
|
|
Notes
References
- Lawrie, R. A.; Ledward, D. A. (2006). Lawrie's meat science (7th ed.). Cambridge: Woodhead Publishing Limited. ISBN 978-1-84569-159-2.