ASSESSMENT OF THE HYGIENIC CONDITION OF THE SLAUGHTERHOUSE BASED ON THE EVALUATION OF MICROBIOLOGICAL SWABS

Abstract

This study objective was to evaluate the hygienic condition of surfaces by microbiological swabs and the effectiveness of disinfectant Virkon S. Level of hygiene was evaluated in a small-capacity slaughterhouse located in the Košice region with a maximum weekly capacity of 5 large livestock units. Microbiological swabs were taken from an area of 10 cm² before the process of slaughtering, during the process, and after disinfection. Disinfectant Virkon S was used in a 1% concentration during an exposure time of 30 minutes for disinfection of monitored surfaces. Disinfectant was effective on surfaces of cage, wall, floor, and (p<0.0001), where was determined significant decrease of microorganisms, but we recorded 1.0 x 10⁴ colony forming units (CFU)/10 cm² of the total count of bacteria (TCB) on the cage,  7.5 x 10³ CFU/10 cm² of TCB on the wall and 1.5 x 10⁴ CFU/10 cm² of TCB on the floor after disinfection, which indicates an insufficient level of disinfection. From the achieved results, it is clear, that the disinfection provided by the disinfectant Virkon S was not effective, as the evaluated disinfectant did not achieve a decrease in the number of microorganisms and thus did not ensure a sufficient level of hygiene. We concluded that it is crucial to effectively disinfect products using the right disinfectant at the right exposure period since it helps to stop the spread of several germs that could contaminate products and have a negative impact on consumers' health.