title: The effects of mandatory HACCP implementation on microbiological indicators of process hygiene in meat processing and retail establishments in Serbia.
abstract: A total of 48,246 microbiological test results were collected from 130 meat processing plants and 220 meat retail facilities over a seven year period: 41 months before and 43 months after HACCP implementation. Our results confirm a strong positive effect of mandatory HACCP implementation on process hygiene indicators in meat establishments. Significant reductions were observed in the number of hygiene indicator organisms on all types of surfaces examined and types of meat establishments investigated. The improvement of process hygiene was articulated as aerobic colony count reduction of at least 1.0 log10 CFU/cm(2) for food contact surfaces and over 2 log10 CFU/cm(2) for cooling facilities (refrigerators, freezers and other meat cooling devices). Meat handlers' hands hygiene was least positively affected. The period after mandatory HACCP implementation was also marked by a steady decline of positive Enterobacteriaceae and Staphylococcus samples. Process hygiene advances for meat processing plants and meat retail facilities were similar.
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Source Food Technology, University of Belgrade, Faculty of Agriculture, Nemanjina 6, 11080 Belgrade, Serbia. Electronic address: tbigor@agrif.bg.ac.rs.
authors.forename: Igor
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Tomasevic
authors.affiliation: Center for Food Analysis, Zmaja od Nocaja 11, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia. Electronic address: jelena@cin.co.rs.
authors.forename: Jelena
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kuzmanović
authors.affiliation: Center for Food Analysis, Zmaja od Nocaja 11, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia. Electronic address: aleksandra.andjelkovic@cin.co.rs.
authors.forename: Aleksandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Anđelković
authors.affiliation: Center for Food Analysis, Zmaja od Nocaja 11, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia. Electronic address: miroslava.saracevic@cin.co.rs.
authors.forename: Miroslava
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Saračević
authors.affiliation: Center for Food Analysis, Zmaja od Nocaja 11, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia. Electronic address: marija@cin.co.rs.
authors.forename: Marija M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Stojanović
authors.affiliation: Food Safety and Quality Management Department, University of Belgrade, Faculty of Agriculture, Nemanjina 6, 11080 Belgrade, Serbia. Electronic address: idjekic@agrif.bg.ac.rs.
authors.forename: Ilija
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Djekic
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001420:Bacteria, Aerobic / Q000254:growth & development; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D003132:Commerce; D003257:Consumer Product Safety; D004755:Enterobacteriaceae / Q000254:growth & development; D005511:Food Handling / Q000592:standards*; D005516:Food Microbiology; D063373:Hand Hygiene; D064088:Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points; D006801:Humans; D006920:Hygiene; D008460:Meat / Q000382:microbiology*; D008461:Meat Products / Q000382:microbiology; D008462:Meat-Packing Industry; D055771:Serbia; D013210:Staphylococcus / Q000254:growth & development
keywords: Aerobic colony count; Enterobacteriaceae; Food contact surfaces; HACCP; Meat processing; Meat retail; Process hygiene; Staphylococcus