Pork : control of carcass contamination levels at end of line : utility of lactic acid

For a better controlled salmonella and other microbial contamination risk, measures additional to compliance with Good Hygiene Practices and HACCP must be envisaged. The measures have to reduce carcass contamination without being detrimental to the value and acceptability of the products. Two classes of processes make it possible to reduce bacterial contamination of carcasses: heat treatments and the use of organic acids. This study concerns the decontaminating effect of lactic acid. Three concentrations of lactic acid and two temperatures were tested on carcasses by spraying before sweating. The efficacy of the treatments was assessed by bacteriological sampling before treatment and 24 h and 48 h afterwards, accompanied by an evaluation of the commercial value of the carcasses. The reduction of the contamination was below 80%, irrespective of the flora, the temperature, the concentration, and the area or time of sampling. The results show a treatment efficacy below expected levels (90% to 90.9% according to the literature). In the industrial conditions tested, controlling carcass contamination by lactic acid treatment is thus of limited practical utility