title: Control Points To Reduce Movement of Central Nervous System Tissue during Beef Slaughter.
abstract: Consumption of central nervous system tissue (CNST) from cattle with bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) is thought to cause the human neurological disease, variant Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease. To identify points of cross-contamination of beef carcasses with CNST, 55 young beef cattle were slaughtered and processed through a federally inspected multispecies abattoir. The objectives of this study were to evaluate CNST spread following the placement of a plug in the penetration site of the skull after captive bolt stunning, to evaluate cross-contamination of carcasses before and after splitting, to compare the effects of hot water pasteurization (84°C for 10 s) versus cold water wash (10°C for 30 s) for reducing CNST on the carcass, and to examine other possible sources of cross-contamination in the abattoir. Results indicated that the use of a plastic plug reduced CNST contamination near the bolt penetration site. This study also confirmed that carcass splitting resulted in an increase in CNST contamination at various areas of the carcass. Hot water pasteurization appeared to be an effective means of removing CNST contamination from carcasses in most of the areas sampled.
authors.affiliation: Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Lacombe Research Centre, 6000 C & E Trail, Lacombe, Alberta, Canada T4L 1W1.
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Aalhus
authors.affiliation: Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Lacombe Research Centre, 6000 C & E Trail, Lacombe, Alberta, Canada T4L 1W1.
authors.forename: R D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Thacker
authors.affiliation: Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Lacombe Research Centre, 6000 C & E Trail, Lacombe, Alberta, Canada T4L 1W1.
authors.forename: I L
authors.initials: IL
authors.lastname: Larsen
authors.affiliation: Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Lacombe Research Centre, 6000 C & E Trail, Lacombe, Alberta, Canada T4L 1W1.
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Roberts
authors.affiliation: Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, 410 Agriculture/Forestry Centre, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2P5.
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Price
authors.affiliation: Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Lacombe Research Centre, 6000 C & E Trail, Lacombe, Alberta, Canada T4L 1W1.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Juárez
mesh_terms: D000003:Abattoirs; D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D002490:Central Nervous System; D016643:Encephalopathy, Bovine Spongiform; D005506:Food Contamination; D006801:Humans; D008460:Meat; D000069466:Red Meat
keywords: Bovine spongiform encephalopathy; Central nervous system tissue; Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay; Glial fibrillary acidic protein; Slaughter contamination