Subsidized by research from Embrapa Swine and Poultry (SC), the Federal Inspection System (SIF), of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (Mapa), from this month onwards incorporates an unprecedented procedure to guarantee a more effective identification of risks of contamination of meat by microorganisms in the slaughter of broiler chickens. It involves the implementation, in its self-controls, of microbiological monitoring of the hygienic-sanitary performance of the slaughter process, with limit indicators for Enterobacteriaceae – bacteria found in the gastrointestinal tract of animals. These bacteria are considered an important indicator of the hygienic-sanitary quality of the slaughter process and a potential indicator of the presence or absence of Salmonella spp, one of the main causes of condemnation of carcasses in slaughterhouses.
SDA/MAPA Ordinance No. 1,023 made the new procedure official, publishing it on February 29th. It covers slaughterhouses registered with the SIF, which is linked to Dipoa do Mapa. Embrapa researcher Luizinho Caron celebrates: “It represents yet another advance in the work of reviewing and modernizing the slaughter in slaughterhouses“. In 2016, Mapa/Dipoa demanded that Embrapa prepare a proposal to modernize the inspection, based on risk management.
“By applying this procedure, slaughterhouses can effectively assess the risk that their process poses to health. Identifying problematic batches in production, allowing direct action in the slaughter system, is an advantage highlighted by the researcher.
Slaughter losses reach around 6% of carcasses
In the slaughter process, chicken carcasses with alterations or contamination are condemned, reaching approximately 5.99% of the slaughtered birds. Therefore, these birds are intended for the production of inedible products. The physical evaluation before and after the death of the animals is the basis for their condemnation, resulting in partial or total condemnation of 85% or 15% of the carcasses.
According to Embrapa researchers, the main causes of convictions recorded by the SIF during the slaughter of chickens are gastrointestinal contamination, representing 26.2% of convictions. Next come convictions for traumatic injuries with 24.8%, non-specific skin injuries with 13.3% and 35.7% due to other causes.
In Brazil, the Inspection Service removes contaminated parts in slaughterhouses after detection at the Critical Control Point. “The work evaluated the effectiveness of the refiling process on the count of Enterebacteriaceae, which are an important indicator of the hygienic-sanitary quality of the processes”, he explained. After applying the procedures, slaughterhouses can reduce carcass condemnations by effectively assessing health risk.
Intense work in slaughterhouses in the Southern Region of Brazil allowed the definition of the limits considered for this evaluation. Researchers from Embrapa, Dipoa and public universities collected data and were present on the slaughter lines. Based on the data collected and the preliminary definition of the limits, the Mapa team carried out pilots in several slaughterhouses in Brazil, validating the limits. This validation culminated in the publication of Ordinance 1023 and slaughterhouses will implement this.
The project and its contributions
The “Review and Modernization of the Federal Inspection System – SIF” project, initiated in 2016 at the request of Dipoa/Mapa, involved renowned partners, such as UFRGS, IFC-Concórdia, USP and Senai – Chapecó. Furthermore, its central objective is to adopt a risk-oriented inspection model, with the aim of evaluating its effectiveness in analyzing carcasses for the detection of Salmonella spp. Importantly, this genus of bacteria is recognized as the main vector of foodborne diseases in Brazil and other nations, and is also a significant cause of notifications of nonconformities in “in natura” Brazilian chicken meat, especially in Europe and Japan, as Caron explains.
The project team initially worked on preparing a Technical Note on the safety of myopathies, addressing both the use of initial degrees of alteration and their classification. Furthermore, the technical note is based on Dipoa's circular letter (CIRCULAR LETTER No. 17/2019/CGI/DIPOA/SDA/MAPA – 13/12/2019), which discusses myopathies for the application of Decree 9,013.
Source: Notícias Agrícolas
