INDICATOR MICROORGANISMS IN CARCASSES OF CATTLE SLAUGHTERED UNDER FEDERAL INSPECTION

In view of the growing demand in the national and international markets for  products of animal origin with high quality standards, it is essential  that the establishments responsible for the slaughter and processing of these products  strictly meet the requirements provided for in the sanitary legislation. The search for  microorganisms that indicate contamination in bovine carcasses is  a fundamental strategy in the monitoring of hygienic-sanitary quality,  contributing directly to the prevention of risks to public health. In this context, the  present study aimed to quantify microorganisms that indicate  contamination in bovine carcasses, slaughtered in a slaughterhouse under federal inspection, in the years 2022 and 2023, with  a view to assessing compliance with legal parameters and  identifying possible critical points in the production process. To define the  number of samples to be collected for analysis, the history of  results of microbiological analyses regarding the total count of viable microorganisms  (mesophiles) and the presence of enterobacteria, in the period from 2022 to 2023, was considered. The  frequency of sampling adopted was based on the classification of the establishment  according to official criteria, and was complemented by statistical analysis of the data using  Tukey's 't' test, in order to ensure representativeness and robustness of the results. 

The slaughterhouse in which this study was conducted has a productive potential for the slaughter  of up to 1