LAUSR

INTRODUCTION In several developing countries the slaughter of meat producing animals is still practiced in traditional slaughterhouses. In the Mansoura slaughterhouse, animals are subjected to various stressors and treated with cruelty, in addition to unhygienic treatment and handling of animal carcasses. Hence, this study was designed to investigate the meat quality from cattle, buffalo, and sheep carcasses processed in an old-fashioned slaughterhouse from Mansoura city, Egypt, in the context of pre-slaughter stress. METHODOLOGY The bleeding efficiency and the ultimate pH (pHu) of carcasses were tested, along with the effect of post-slaughter handling practice on the microbiological properties of meat. RESULTS From the 351 examined animals, the ultimate pH (pHu) was less than 5.8 in 81 cases (23.1%) and higher than 6.0 in 165 cases (47%). Furthermore, 45 (12.8%), 270 (76.9%), and 36 (10.3%) of the tested carcasses were well-, moderate- and imperfectly-bled, respectively. Cultivation using the wet-dry triple swab technique sampled from the outer surfaces of cattle, buffalo, and sheep carcasses revealed that about 47.9% of the tested carcasses were contaminated, with total viable count levels exceeding 7 log10 cfu/cm2, and 42.7% were contaminated with Enterobacteriaceae, with levels > 3 log10 cfu/cm2. The molds and yeasts from the tested carcasses had lower counts (< 2 log10 cfu/cm2). CONCLUSIONS Results indicated neglect in terms of sanitary measures during slaughtering and dressing of carcasses, with subsequent higher microbial contamination and impaired meat quality. Therefore, the traditional slaughtering facilities should be modernized to increase their meat producing efficiency, subsequently leading to exportation possibilities.