Purpose: This study was conducted to investigate the relationship between the environmental characteristics of meat markets and the microbiological quality of meat products.
Methods: Ground beef samples (n=80) were purchased from 40 meat markets in Seoul, Korea between July and September, 2015. Samples were subjected to enumeration of mesophilic aerobes (MA) and total coliforms (TC). In addition, samples were evaluated for the presence of common foodborne pathogens found in beef products (Listeria monocytogenes, Enterococcus faecalis, Enterococcus faecium, and Salmonella spp.) according to the Korean standard method. Each market was classified according to the following factors: Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point certification (HACCP+), separation of processing areas (SP+), temperature maintenance below 20°C (TEM+), and washing of utensils between processing steps.
Results: There were significantly lower numbers (P<0.05) of TC in TEM+ markets than in TEM- markets, suggesting that temperature control is essential for reducing microbial contamination of meat products. Beef products from wholesale market harbored significantly fewer MA and TC than those sold at department stores and single markets (P<0.05). Notably, however, the factors examined in this study had no significant influence on the prevalence of the four foodborne pathogens tested in beef products.
Significance: The results of this study indicated that temperature control during the meat processing and the fewer handling processes after slaughtering are the key factors that effect microbial contamination levels in retail meat products.