Estructura genética en Haemulon aurolineatum

In this research the general statistical median of the numbers of microorganisms of carcass contamination calculated in colony forming unites (CFU/cm2), both at Kadaro Slaughter House and Butcher’s Retail Shops, was found to be very high (log10 > 7.00/cm

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) compared to standard level proposed by ICMSF, 1998; Codex Alimentarius, 1990; USDA, 1994 _ FSIS; Who propose meat to be acceptable when it is at or less than log10 < 5.00 /cm

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or/g.

The general statistical median for bacterial numbers for all carcass sites investigated – both at Kadaro Slaughter House for export and those investigated at Butcher’s Shops at Khartoum North Market - was found to be high and above that internationally stated limit. Log10 x6/cm

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or more at least was found at the majority of the (120) sites sampled and studied and this should be considered a major

Critical Point, needing controls – bearing in mind the fact that meat

starts to spoil by off odour formation – at this very level of bacterial count and slime formation starts at counts of log10 x 7/cm

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- (see figure 2). This means that meat at Kadaro Slaughter House for export – where the facilities for meat hygiene were considered to be available in a better conditions than any where in all Sudan , and at Khartoum North Butcher’s market _ is contaminated to just above the level of

starting spoilage _ Yet no organoliptic signs of spoilage were detected at time of sampling _ but it should be noted that since the numbers

detected were supposed to show the signs of spoilage then it could be said that the utilization of microorganisms of meat during their feeding and growth is the actual cause of spoilage – not just their mere presence as a result of contamination _ as what seems to has happened here at Kadaro Slaughter House where contamination was high enough (> log 10 x 6.5). Never-the-less the level of contamination found

indicated high hazardous level calling for urgent control measures to be implemented, otherwise the keeping quality and shelf-life of meat will be very poor, and so will be the consumer’s health.

At retail shops at Khartoum North Butcher’s Market it has been found that there was a highly significant increase in bacteria (Median of absolute numbers/cm2) when statistically compared to the numbers detected at Kadaro Slaughter House insuring that refrigeration of meat

during transport to bellow 70C – as recommended by FAO legislations – should be mandatory in Sudan especially during

meat transport.

In determining whether there was a significant difference between the median number of bacteria contaminating carcasses at the Kadaro slaughter house and those at butcher’s shops, the non- parametric Wilcoxon Matched Pairs test (Allan, 2001) was performed. This test showed a highly significant difference in the total median number of bacteria between the two places of study (p<0.00001). Figure (13) illustrated the magnitude of that difference. It is also very clear that the total number of bacteria has significantly increased when these carcasses were reexamined at the butchers’ shops.

When the bacterial numbers for every carcass at the slaughter house was compared to that of the same carcass at the Butchers shops (Figure 14), still there was a clear evident increase in the numbers of bacteria in seven carcasses out of the ten carcasses in the study insuring that carcass contamination affects every carcass depending on conditions and circumstances of that carcass alone as well as contaminating factors affecting all other carcasses.

The increase in numbers of bacteria (both in the total Median in all carcasses and in individual carcasses ) proved that microbiological growth did really started and spoilage will be issuing next after, and the time lag during transportation from slaughter house to the market, at temperatures above 250C without refrigeration , no proper packaging and mal handling left the meat without any keeping quality or shelf life to be expected, because the bacterial numbers has already reached

the expected level for spoilage stated by Jay, (2005) in figure (2). Bacterial numbers on beef caresses when investigated at EEC

countries was found in the range of: log10 CFU/cm 2

(30oc): 2.29 _ 3.85, (Roberts, et al, 1980b); and 2.9 _ 3.57 mean log10 CFU/cm

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at India, (Mukartini, et al 1995). These levels of contamination seem to be low enough and complying with - the above stated - acceptable international standards.

Comparing levels of carcass contamination found in this research to other levels of carcass contamination detected by other workers in Sudan, Fatima Elamin (1985) found the levels of meat bacterial contamination- log10 CFU /cm

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while Awatif, (1997) found all levels of carcass contamination high above log10 7.00 CFU /cm

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at Omdorman Central Slaughter House.

The major parameter which could cause such a difference between levels of contamination found in Sudan carcass meat, compared to other EEC countries levels of carcass contamination - other than hygienic standards - seems to be the ambient environmental degree of temperature, being high in Sudan compared to those at EEC temperate countries.

Temperature plays a vital and determinant role in microbial growth and hence their total numbers, as well as its selection for growth of special types of microorganisms in an environment or a medium at specific range of degrees of temperature.

It was stated that (Jay, 2005; Satish, 2004) psychrotrophic microorganisms grow at temperatures 0_20oc, mesotrophic microorganisms 20_40oc and thermotrophic microorganisms 40_65oc, this means that the potential health hazards are often from mesotrophic microorganisms since most of pathogenic microorganisms grow best at this range of temperature which coincides with human body temperature (37oc)

The degrees of temperature in Sudan most of the year - specially in Khartoum district _ are above 300c which will select for

growth of mesotrophic types of microorganisms and some thermophilic ones, the majority of which are pathogenic, while at temperate countries the usual environmental temperature selects for growth of psychrotrophic types of microorganisms the majority of

which are food spoilage rather than disease causing ones, and this fact reflects the danger and the health hazard of meat contamination in Sudan, as well as it explains the better situation both in human health and keeping quality of foods in temperate zones.