REDUCTION OF Salmonella spp. LEVELS IN SWINE CARCASS AT THE SLAUGHTERHOUSE, USING HOT WATER BATH AT 80°C

Abstract

Porcine salmonellosis is of important economic and food safety importance, as it is a cause of food
infections in humans, and is present in large scale in finishing pigs due to lymph node latency and rearing
conditions. The objective of this study was to evaluate the reduction in Salmonella spp. in slaughter
swine carcasses, after slaughtering under a bath with water at 80 ° C. Ninety swine carcasses were
evaluated after slaughter at four harvesting points (leg, loin, belly and double chin), before and after
bathing with water at 80 °C, in 720 samples, with quantitative analysis by the number method more
probable. In slaughtering 43.33% (39/90) of the animals were positive before hot water application
represented by 62 positive samples. After the intervention, 88.71% (55/62) of the positive samples
zeroed the counts, in seven samples there was no reduction and in 11 samples, there was positivity in
previously negative animals. The typifications of all positives were Salmonella Typhimurium. The
samples with the greatest reduction in the count were double chin and belly samples with a concentration
of 330 NMP / g that subsequently zeroed. Treatment with hot water bath in the carcasses was efficient,
with significant difference of positivity before and after the intervention. There were cases of cross
contamination after intervention in animals that remained positive and animals negative. Intervention by bathing the carcasses after gutting with 80 ° C water reduces the Salmonella spp. count and is
economically viable.