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CONSTRUCTION&APPROVAL&MAINTANANCE&OPERATION OF
MEAT ESTABLISHMENTS
REGULATION (EC) No 854/2004 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE
COUNCIL
of 29 April 2004
Laying down specific rules for the organization of official controls on products of animal
origin intended for human consumption
OFFICIAL CONTROLS IN RELATION TO COMMUNITY ESTABLISHMENTS
Approval of establishments
1.
a. When Community legislation requires the approval of establishments, the competent
authority shall make an on-site visit. It shall approve an establishment for the activities
concered only if the food business operator has demonstrated that it meets the relevant
requirements of Regulation (EC) No 853/2004 and other relevant requirements of food law
(882/2004)
b. The competent authority may grant conditional approval if it appears from the on-site visit
that the establishment meets all the infrastructure and equipment requirements. It shall grant
full approval only if it appears from a new on-site visit carried out within 3 months of the
granting of conditional approval the establishment meets the other requirements referred to
in (a). If clear progress has been made but the establishment still does not meet all of these
requirements, the competent authority may prolong conditional approval. However,
conditional approval shall not exceed a total of 6 months.
REGULATION (EC) No 853/2004 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE
COUNCIL
of 29 April 2004
Laying down specific hygiene rules for food of animal origin
Registration and approval of establishments
1.
Food business operators shall place products of animal origin manufactured in the
Community on the market only if they have been prepared and handld exclusively in
establishments:
a. that meet the relevant requirements of Regulation (EC) No 852/2004, those of Annexes
II and III of this Regulation and other relevant requirements of food law, and
b. that the competent authority has registered or, where required in accordance with
paragraph 2, approved.
2.
Without prejudice to Article 6(3) of Regulation (EC) No 852/2004, establishments handling
those products of animal origin of which Annex III of this Regulation lays down requirements
shall not operate unless the competent authority has approved them in accordance with
paragraph 3 of this Article, with the exception of the establishments carrying out only:
a.
b.
c.
d.
primary production
transport operation
the storage of products not requiring temperature-controlled storage conditions, or
retail operations other than those to which this Regulation applies pursuant to Article
1(5)(b).
3.
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An establishment subject to approval in accordance with paragraph 2 shall not opearte
unless the competent authority has, in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 854/2004 of the
European parlaiment and of the Council of 29 April 2004 laying down specific rules for the
organization of official controls on products of animal origin intended for human consumption:
a. granted the establishment approval to operate following an on-site visit, or
b. provided the establishment with conditional approval.
4.
Food business operators shall cooperate with the competent authorities in accordance with
Regulation (EC) No 854/2004. In particular, food business operators shall ensure that the
establishment ceases to operate if the competent authority withdraws its approval or, in the
case of conditional approval, fails to prolong it or to grant full approval.
5.
This Article shall not prevent an establishment from placing food on the market betwen the
date of application of this Regulation and the first subsequent inspection by the competent
authority, if the establishment:
a. Is subject to approval in accordance with paragraph 2 and placed products of animal
origin on the market in accordance with Community legislation immediately prior to the
application of this Regulation, or
b. Is of a type in respect of which there was no requirement for approval before the
application of this Regulation.
ANNEX III
SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS
REQUIREMENTS FOR SLAUGHTERHOUSES
1. Food business operators must ensure that the construction, layout and equipment of
slaughterhouses in which domestic ungulates are slaughtered meet the following requirements:
a.
b.
c.
Slaughterhouses must have adequate and hygienic lairage facilities or,
climate waiting pens that are easy to clean and disinfect. These facilities
must be equiped for watering the animals and, if necessary, feeding them.
The drainage of the waste-water must not compromise food safety.
They must also have seperate lockable facilities or, climate pens for sick
or suspect animals with separate draining and sites in such a way as to
avoid contamination of other animals, unless the competent authority
considers that such facilities are unnecessary.
The size of the lairage facilities must ensure that the welfare of the
animals is respected. Their layout must facilitate ante-mortem inspections,
including identification of the animals or groups of animals.
2. To avoid contaminating meat, they must:
a. have a sufficient number of rooms, appropriate to the operations being carried out
b. have a separate room for the emptying and cleaning of stomachs and intestines,
unless the competent authority authorises the separation in time of these oprations
within a specific slaughterhouses on a case-by-case basis
c. ensure separation in space or time of the following operations:
i.
stunning and bleeding
ii.
in the case of porcine animals, scalding, depilation, scraping and singeing
iii.
evisceration and further dressing
iv.
handling clean guts and tripe
v.
preparation and cleaning of other offal, particularly the handling of skined
heads if it does not take place at the slaughter line
vi.
packaging of offal and,
vii.
dispatching meat
d.
e.
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have intsllations that prevent contact between the meat and the floors,
walls and,
have slaughter-lines (where operated) that are designed to allow constant
progress of the slaughter process and to avoid cross-contamination
between the different parts of the slaughter line. Where more than one
slaughter line is operated in the same premises, there must be adequate
separation of the lines to prevent cross-contamination.
3. They must have facilities for disinfecting tools with hot water supplied at not less than 82 °C, or an
alternative system having an equivalent effect
4. The equipment for washing hands used by the staff engaged in handling exposed meat must have
taps designed to prevent the spread of contamination
5. There must be lockable facilities for the refrigerated storage of detained meat and separate
lockable facilities for the storage of meat declared unfit for human consumption
6. There must be a separate place with appropriate facilities for the cleaning, washing and
disinfection of means of transport of livestock. However, slaughterhouses need not have these places
and facilities if the competent authority so permits and official authorised places and facilities exist
nearby
7. They must have lockable facilities reserved for the slaughter of sick or suspect animals. This is not
essential if this slaughter takes place in other establishments authorised by the competent authority
for this purpose, or at the end of the normal slaughter period
8. If manure or digestive tract content is stored in the slaughterhouse, there must be a special area or
place for that purpose
9. They must have an adequately equiped lockable facility or, where needed, room for the exclusive
use of veterinary service.
REQUIREMENTS FOR CUTTING PLANTS
Food business operators must ensure that cutting plants handling meat of domestic ungulates:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
are constructed so as to avoid contamination of meat, in particular by:
a. allowing constant progress of the operations or,
b. ensuring separation between the different production batches
have rooms for the separate storage of packaged and exposed meat, unless stored at
different times or in such a way that the packaging material and the manner of storage
cannot be a source of contamination for the meat
have cutting rooms equipped to ensure compliance with the requirements laid down in
Chapter V.
have equipment for washing hands with taps designed to prevent the spread of
contamination, for use by staff engaged in handling exposed meat and,
have facilities for disinfecting tools with hot water supplied at not less than 82 °C, or an
alternative system having an equivalent effect.
MEAT FROM POULTRY AND LAGOMORPHS
REQUIREMENTS FOR SLAUGHTERHOUSES
Food business operators must ensure that the construction, layout and equipment of
slaughterhouses in which poultry or lagomorphs are slaughtered meet the following requirements:
1.
2.
They must have a room or covered space for the reception of the animals and for their
inspection before slaughter
To avoid contaminating meat, they must:
a.
b.
have a sufficient number of rooms, appropriate to operations carried out
have a separate room for evisceration and further dressing, including the
addition of seasonings to whole poultry carcases, unless the competent authority
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c.
authorises separation in time of these operations within
slaughterhouse on a case-to-case basis
ensure separation in space or time of the following operations:
a
specific
i. stunning and bleeding
ii. plucking or skining, and any scalding
iii. dispatching meat
j.
k.
3.
4.
5.
6.
have installations that prevent contact between the meat and the floors, walls
and fixtures and,
have slaughterlines (where operated) that are designed to allow a constant
progress of the slaughter process and to avoid cross-contamination between the
different parts of the slaughter line. Where more than one slaughter line is
operated in the same premises, there must be adequate separation of the lines
to prevent cross-cotamination.
They must have facilities for disinfecting tools with hot water supplied at not less than 82
°C, or an alternative system having an equivalent effect
The equipment for washing hands used by the staff engaged in handling exposed meat
must have taps designed to prevent the spread of contamination
There must be lockable facilities for the refrigerated storage of detained meat and
separate lockable facilities for the storage of meat declared unfit for human
consumption
There must be a separate place with appropriate facilities for the cleaning, washing and
disinfection of:
a. transport equipment such as crates
b. means of transport
These places and facilities are not compulsory for (b) if officially authorised places and facilities exist
nearby.
7.
They must have an adequately equiped lockable facility or, where needed, room for the
exclusive use of veterinary service.
REQUIREMENTS FOR CUTTING PLANTS (POULTRY&LAGOMORPHS)
SPECIALTIES:
2. If the following operations are undertaken in a cutting plant:
a. the evisceration of geese and ducks reared for the production of „foie gras”, which have been
stunned, bled and plucked on the fattening farm or,
b. the evisceration of delayed eviscerated poultry,
food business operators must ensure that separate rooms are available for that purpose.
MEAT OF FARMED GAME
The provisons of Section I apply to the production and placing ont he market of meat from eventoed farmed game mammals (cervidae and Suidae), unless the competent authority considers
them inappropriate.
The provisions of Section II apply to the production and placing on the market of meat from
ratites. However, those of Section I apply where the competent authority consdiders them
appropriate. Appropriate facilities must be provided, adapted to the size of the animals.
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MINCED MEAT, MEAT PREPARATIONS AND MECHANICALLY SEPARATED
MEAT (MSM)
REQUIREMENTS FOR PRODUCTION ESTABLISHMENTS
Food business operators operating establishments producing munced meat, meat preparations or
MSM must ensure that they :
1. are constructed so as to avoid contamination of meat and products, in particular by:
a. allowing constatnt progress of the operations or
b. ensuring separation between the different production batches.
2. have rooms for the separate storage of packaged and exposed meat and products,
unless stored at different times or in such a way that the packaging material and the
maner of storage cannot be a source of contamination for the meat or products
3. have rooms equipped to ensure compliance with the temperature requirements laid
down in Chapter III
4. have equipment for washing hands used by staff handling exposed meat and products
with taps designed to prevent the spread of contamination and,
5. have facilities for disinfecting tools with hot water supplied at not less than 82 °C, or an
alternative system having an equivalent effect.
LIVE BIVALVE MOLLUSCS
FISHERY PRODUCTS
This Section does not apply to bivalve molluscs, echinoderms, tunicates and marine gastropods
when placed on the market live.
In relation to fishery products:
a. primary production covers the farming, fishing and collection of live fishery products with a
view to their being placed on the market and,
b. associated operations cover any of the following operations, if carried out on board fishing
vessels:
slaughter, bleeding, heading, gutting, removing fins, refrigeration and wrapping
they also include:
2. the transport and storage of fishery products the nature of which
has not been substantially altered, including live fishery
products, within fish farms on land and,
3. the transport of fishery products the nature of which has not
been substantially altered, including live fishery products, from
the place of production to the first establishment of destination.
REQUIREMENTS FOR VESSELS
Requirements for all vessels
1. Vessels must be designed and constructed so as not to cause contamination of the products
with bilge-water, sewage, smoke, fuel, oil, greese or other objectionable substances
2. Surfaces with which fishery products come into contact must be of suitable corrosion-resistant
material that is smooth and easy to clean. Surface coatings must be durable and non-toxic
3. Equipment and material used for working on fishery products must be made of corrosionresistant material that is easy to clean and disinfect
4. When vessels have a water intake for water used with fishery products, it must be situated in a
position that avoids contamination of the water supply.
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Requirements for vessels designed and equipped to preserve fish, fishery products for more than 24
hours
1. Vessels designed and equipped to preserve fishery products for more than 24 hours must be
equipped with holds, tanks or containers for the storage of fishery products at the temperature
laid down in Chapter VIII
2. Holds must be separated from the engine compartments and from the crew quarters by
partitions which are sufficient to prevent any conatmination of the stored fishery products.
Holds and containers used for storage of fishery products must ensure their preservation
under staisfactory condition of hygiene and, where necessary, ensure that melt water does not
remain in contact with the products
3. In vessels equipped for chilling fishery products in cooled clear sea water, tanks must
incorporate devices for achieving a uniform temperature throughout the tanks. Such devices
must achieve a chilling rate that ensures that the mix if fish and clean sea water reaches not
more than 3 °C 6 hours after loading and not more than 0 °C after 16 hours and allow the
monitoring and, where necessary, recording of temperature.
Requirements for freezer vessels
Freezer vessels must:
1. have freezing equipment with sufficient capacity to lower temperature rapidly so as to achieve
a core temperature of not more than – 18 °C
2. have refrigeration equipment with sufficient capacity to maintain fishery products in the storage
holds at not more than – 18 °C. Storage holds must be equipped with a temperature recording
device in a place where it can be easily read. The temperature sensor of the reader must be
situated in the area where the temperature in the hold is the highest and,
a. meet the requirements for vessels designed and equipped to preserve fishery products
for more than 24 hours laid down in part B, point 2.
Requirements for factory vessels
1.
Factory vessels must have at least:
a. a receiving area for tanking fishery products on board, designed to allow each
successive catch to be separated. This area must be easy to clean and designed so as
to protect the products from the sun or the elements and from any source of
contamination
b. a hygienic system for conveying fishery products from the receiving area to the work
area
c. work areas that are large enough for the hygienic preparation and processing of fishery
products, easy to clean and disinfect and designed and arranged in such a way as to
prevent any contamination of the products
d. storage areas for the finished products that are large enough and designed so that that
they are easy to clean. If a waste processing unit operates on board, a separate hold
must be designated for the storage of such waste
e. a place for storing packaging materials that is separate from the product preparation
and processing areas
f. special equipment for disposing water or fishery products that are unfit for human
consumption directly into the sea or, where circumstances so require, into a watertight
tank reserved for that purpose. If waste is stored and processed on board with a view to
its sanitation, separate areas must be allocated for that purpose
g. a water intake situated in a position that avoids contamination of the water supply and,
h. hand washing equipment for use by the staff engaged in handling exposed fishery
products with taps designed to prevent the spread of contamination.
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2. However, factory vessels on board which crustaceans and molluscs are cooked, chilled and
wrapped, need not meet the requirements of point 1 if no other form of handling or processing
takes place onboard such vessels
3. Factory vessels that freeze fishery products must have equipment meeting the requirements
for freezer vessels laid down in part C, point 1 and 2.
MEAT PLANT CONSTRUCTION, EQUIPMENT AND LAYOUT
ASPECTS OF ESTABLISHING A NEW ABBATOIR OR REMODELLING AN OLD
ONE
If it is necessary and will operate at maximum throughput.
Decide: Only slaughterhouse for slaughter and dressing or a complete meat plant (abbatoir and meat
plant for full processing) or meat plant only.
Experts (architects, engineers, hygienists, etc.) having experienece in abbatoir planning.
LOCATION
 Personnel
 Close to sites of livestock production
 Transportation (cost, stress)
MAXIMUM THROUGHPUT OPERATION
 Reduces overheads on building, equipment, labour
 Economic handling of by-products (hides, offals, glands, blood, condemned material)
Maintenance staff
Modern, durable equipment for efficient and hygienic operation
Separate slaughter of pigs from other species must be provided
If only one entrance is possible, vehicle must be routed in different directions after entry
Lairage accommodation should be sited away from main roads or screened from them.
REQUIRED
 Mains water (10 L/1 kg dressed carcass)
 Electricity supply (3-phases, stand-by generator)
 Mains sewerage
 Contiguity with uncongested road and rail systems
 Proximity with public transport
 Proximity to varied labour supply
 Freedom from pollution from other industries (noise, odour, dust, smoke, ash)
 Distance from local housing and other development to avoid complaints about noise, smell
 Ability to separate completely of clean and dirty areas and access
 Means of controlling access to and exit from the slaughterhouse
 Availability of stock nearby
 Ground suitable for good foundations, freedom from flooding
 Sufficient space for future expansions
AREA SIZE
Small abbatoir
: 30000 units per year (1-2 acres)
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Medium
: 50000 units per year (2-4 acres)
Large
: 100000 units per year (4-6 acres)
(1 acre=0.4 hectar=4050 m2)
SUBMISSION OF PLANS
Drawnings, specifications according to guidance(s), site, floor, plumbing plans.
FACILITIES
 The livestock reception area should preferably roofed, the off-loading dock should be about 1.2 m
high
 Sufficient room for parking and manoeuvring is needed
 Adequate lairage or climate pens permitting waiting of animals. Curved passageways are better
for animals
 Lairage capacity for 3 and 2 days supply of cattle and sheep, pig, respectively
 Weight bridge is necessary
 Slaughter premises, maximum slaughter rates for different species must be specified
 Equipment such that dressing can be carried out as far as possible on the suspended animal.
High enough suspending system for the carcass not to touch the floor
 An overhead system of rails for handling carcas
 Instruments and working equipment of non-corrodible and easily cleaned material
 Changing rooms, wash basins close to lavatoirs with hot and cold running water, showers, flush
lavatoirs that do not open directly to the working rooms, materials for cleansing and disinfecting
the hands and hand towels used only once
 Adequately equipped, lockable room for the exclusive use of the veterinary service and a room
suitably equipped for trichinoscopic tests
 Facilities enabling the required veterinary inspection to be carried out efficiently at any time
 In rooms where work on meat is undertaken, easy to clean and disinfect, waterproof flooring,
slightly sloping, having suitable drainage system with traps and gratings.
 Light coloured, smooth walls, washable coating or paint up to the height at least 3 meters with
rounded angles and corners. Walls should be faced with imprevious material, ceiling also should
be smooth, hard and imprevious
 Doors should be wide enough (1.37 m) to allow passage of product without contact with doorway.
Doors should be covered with rust resistant material
 Under dressing lines where blood tends to collect, drainage valleys must be made for collection of
blood and bone dust
 Basins for greese recovery and traps and vents on drains must be provided and both properly
sealed and eaily cleanable and the letter effectively vented to outside of the building
 Grids covering drains should be made of cast iron or other approved material
 Adequate ventilation and steam extraction in rooms where work on meat is undertaken (to prevent
excessive heat, steam and condensation
 Draught arising from lift wells, stairways, chutes should be prevented. Opening ventilators and
windows should be screened
 In the same rooms, adequate natural or artifical light that do not distort colors (540 lux at all
inspection points, 220 lux in work rooms, 110 lux in other areas)
 Protective shields fitted to lights to prevent fresh meat and offals from broken glass
 Adequate supply of potable water under adequate pressure (20 psi min)
 In the workroom(s) adequate equipment for cleansing and disinfecting hands and tools as close
as possible to working stations
 Taps must not be hand-operated. For disinfecting instruments water must not be less than 82 °C.
 Non-potable water may be used exceptionally for steam production, cooling refrigeration
equipment, all these not permitted for using to other purposes and these pipes are painted red
and must not run through rooms containing meat
 Adequtae supply of hot potable water
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 Waste water disposal system meeting hygiene requirements
 A special section for manure is necessary (coming from lairage)
 The manure obtained from the stomachs and intestines of slaughtered animals requires separate
treatment
 Metal joints, any edges, wholes, corners of equipment gather dirt and hard to clean, fixed covers
of conveyors make cleansing difficult
 Birds, rats mice, insects must be kept out of building (air curtains, currents, flashing lights, distress
noises, etc.
 Wood cannot be cleaned and disinfected properly
 Places and adequate equipment for cleansing and disinfecting vehicles, separately for live animal
and product transporting ones
SEPARATE ROOMS FOR
 Lockable premises reserved respectively for the accommodation of sick or suspect animals, the
slaughter of such animals, the storage of detained meat and the storage of sized meat
 The storage of fat and hides, horns which are not removed on the day of slaughter
 Preparing and cleaning offal, separate place for storing heads if these operations are carried out
not on the slaughterline
 Emtying, cleansing stomachs, intestines
 Rooms for dressing guts and tripe
 Sufficiently large chilling or refrigerating rooms
 An adequate separation between the clean and contaminated parts of the building
MEAT HYGIENE
PLANT SANITATION
“It costs less to be clean than to be dirty”
Remember, technological hygiene means that hygienic aspects are built into the technology.
The present advanced method controls the process with a preventive character. Food control
concerns food safety that is largely determined by the microbiological status of the meat plant. The
way of control is the application of HACCP system that primarily means the evaluation, reduction and
elimination of pathogen microorganisms and sanitation play a determining role in the latter
components.
Sanitation involves a similarly detailed technology as slaughter and carcass dressing, meat
processing and is aimed to ensure the continuous manufacturing of microbiologically appropriate,
quality food.
SOURCE OF CONTAMINATION
The contamination in an abbatoir is largely derived from the main raw materials: the animals entering,
and also from procedures of slaughter and carcass dressing.
The accumulation of animals in lairages further increases the risk of carcass contamination though
cleanliness and avoidance of overcrowding can keep contamination on acceptable level.
Reasonably long resting of animals in lairage is essential for obtaining quality end-product, but too
long staying only increases the possibility of cross-contamination in which Salmonella is often
involved.
Once have got in, inside the meat plant bacteria are spread by contact with personnel, clothing,
surfaces and equipment.
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Vermin, birds, insects and animals are also potential distributors. Visitors, other personnel and
their vehicles employed in the ancillary trades.
Keeping the initial contamination on the animals to a minimum is supplemented with appropriate
hygiene at all stages in the abbatoir itself.
Hygiene of abbatoir also includes the area of the plant-site, its construction and layout, the
throughput, type of equipment used, facilities for cleansing and the type of employees.
A reasonable balance should be established between the standard of environmental hygiene, meat
inspection and the pursuing higher production rate and this principle should be supported by
legislation.
BUILDING AND EQUIPMENT
In most countries there are regulations for setting standards for meat premises in relation to overall
layout, type of construction, materials used, lighting, drainage, etc., and for different type of
departments.
All buildings must be vermin-proof and kept free from flies and this endeavour is supported by the
well-maintenance of the surrounding area.
Floor and walls should be a smooth impervious material, with corners covered. Instead of porcelain
files, modern epoxy paints which are hard, durable, easily cleaned surface, are preferred. a
combination of epoxy resin and glass-fibre is even better.
Tiles otherwise may cause trouble if the grouting becomes defective and the tiles are loosen
(ruptures).
A high standard maintenance is necessary concerning equipment operations such as plastering,
painting. All paints should be lead-free type. Stainless steel is preferred where reasonable.
The type of equipment must be of best quality, durable, easily cleaned and non-toxic to meat and
meat products. Much modern machinery is poorly designed full of nests for harbouring dirt and are
difficult to dismantle for detailed cleaning.
CLEANING COMPOUNDS
TERMS
 Sterilisation refers to any process, chemical or physical, that destroys all living micro-organisms
leading to the absence of all forms of life.
 A disinfectant is an agent, usually a chemical one, which destroys bacteria (but not necessarily
bacterial spores that are more resistant to any of adverse agents).
 An antiseptic is a substance that prevents or arrests the growth of organisms either by inhibiting
their activity or destroying them.
 A germicide is a substance that destroys vegetative bacterial cells but not necessarily bacterial
spores. It is usually applied against disease producing bacteria (Thus, germicide is similar to
disinfectants).
 A sanitation is a chemical agent that reduces to an acceptable bacteriological standard the number
of bacterial contamination on surfaces contact with food.
Most sanitises on sale are composed of combined detergent-sanitising compounds.
DETERGENTS
A detergent is a cleansing substance that, acting with water, can remove “soil” or dirt from surfaces.
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It may be natural or artificial and may be in the form of tablet, powder, flake or liquid.
The most effective natural detergent is the water, though the term is seldom applied to it.
Water alone, however, is not a very good wetting agent because of its high interfacial tension that
inhibits close contact with other surfaces.
A detergent weakens the tensions at the water surfaces, brakes down particulate and greasy dirt (the
type encountered in abbatoirs) and hold it in suspension with the aid of agitation and internal
electrical forces.
Artificial detergents may be simple inorganic chemical compounds such as washing soda (sodium
carbonate), or more complex organic substances such as soap or mixtures of synthetic cleansing
materials and leather producing chemicals as in modern washing powders and liquids.
Detergents have two main categories:
1)
Soapy detergents
(Made by heating animal and/or vegetable oils with an alkali, usually caustic soda)
The animal fats are mainly beef and mutton tallow and marine oils and vegetable oils of palm,
coconut, soybean, groundnut, cotton seed and olive)
2)
Soapless detergents
Usually in the form of powders or liquids, are manufactured mainly from mineral oils by sulphonation
(reaction with sulphur trioxide). Some are produced by sulphating tallow alcohols and by reacting
alcohols with ethylene oxide.
The fats and oils used in making soaps are triglycerides (one molecule of glycerol-glycerine combined with 3 of fatty acids to form hard soap.
Soft soaps have potassium instead of sodium (in the molecular hydrophilic head group, and are
made from liquid oils with different molecular hydrophobic tails).
In water the soap molecule ionizes into two ions, each with an electric charge. Since the charge on
the hydrophilic carboxylate head group is a negative one, soap is an anionic surfactant (surface
active agent). Where the electric charge is positive, the surfactant is cationic and, where there is no
electric charge, the surface active agent is termed non-ionic.
Enzyme-based foam cleaning agents are more recent developments in an attempt to solve the
protein and fat cleaning problems in the meat industry. These consist of a stabilised enzyme solution
and an alkaline builder formulation containing water-conditioning agents. When the two products are
mixed in equal proportions at use dilution (1-2%), the result is a self-foaming cleaning solution that
combines the emulsifying and penetrating action of the surfactants on fats with enzyme activity
designed to soften and break up protein solids.
The cleansing solution is expanded in volume up to 40 times by the injection of compressed air to
give blanket coverage to all soiled surfaces.
There are four main groups of detergents or surface active agents:
1)
Anionic detergents produce electrically negative ions in solution (e.g. soap and most modern
synthetic detergents).
2)
Cationic detergents produce electrically positive ions in solution. Although possessing good
wetting, foaming and emulsifying properties, they are weak detergents.
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3)
Non-ionic detergents do not produce an electrical charge in solution. Some may cause
undue foaming but this is less serious with synthetic detergents.
4)
Ampholytic or amphoteric detergents act as anionic or cationic detergents depending on the
pH of the solution. They are not used extensively in food industry.
To be efficient detergent, a detergent or cleansing agent must possess the following properties:
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)
8)
9)
10)
11)
The power to remove “soil” from surfaces
The capacity to effect maximum suspension and deflocculation of soil
The ability to prevent scale formation in hard water systems
The means to ensure optimum rinsing
The potential to maintain relatively stable degrees of acidity or
alkalinity
The ability to combine satisfactorily with sanitising agents when
both are used together
Non-toxicity
No tendency to taint meat and offal
Economy of use
Non-corrosiveness to surfaces, especially metal
Biodegradability (no pollution problem)
Modern synthetic detergents, that can produce abundant lather, consist chiefly of sulphated fatty
alcohols and adjuvants (such as phosphated silicates, perborates) and enzymes. Detergent action is
measured by the ability of a substance to remove particles of dirt that are first of all loosened and the
enclosed in protective films (emulsification) which are easily washed away.
SANITIZING (DISINFECTING) AGENTS
These are widely used in the food industry and belong to four main groups:
1)
2)
3)
Halogen-based formulations
Quaternary ammonium compounds
Acids and alkalines
The ability (potency) to sanitize is governed mainly by the concentration of the agent used, its
temperature and time of application, the acidity and alkalinity of the solution and the presence of
organic matter.
Disinfection or sanitation must be preceded by thoroughful cleansing.
Cleansing should be a continuous process in the meat plant if optimum hygiene standard is aimed to
be achieved.
HALOGENS
Chlorine is used in many food industries for:
 Sanitizing or disinfecting
 Treatment of water (process and potable)
 Sewage (algae and agar control)
 Treatment of equipment (in drug and pharmaceuticals field and hospitals)
(Gas, solution=hypochlorite, inexpensive, it is prepared from NaCl)
In modern formulations these solutions are practically odourless, non-irritating (preferred to be
concentrated, irritating and dangerous chlorine gas).
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Introducing water, chlorine produces hypochlorous acid (at lower pH) and hypochlorite ion (at
higher pH) depending the pH of the solution.
Hypochlorous acid is more effective sanitary agent than the hypochlorous ion.
The optimum strength for plant sanitation is 130-220 ppm with a maximum of 100 ppm for carcass
washing
(Chlorine is corrosive to metals especially at high temperature and for prolonged exposures).
It is markedly inactivated by organic matter (250 ppm solution for disinfecting clean instruments).
QUATERNARY AMMONIUM COMPOUNDS
These are cationic detergents, good cleansing agents, bacteriostatic mainly against Gram positives.
They are inactivated by organic matter but in a less measure than hypochlorite. Also, less corrosive
to metals, hard water reduces its efficiency, more expensive. They cannot be mixed with anionic
detergents or soaps.
AMPHOTERIC COMPOUNDS
Long-chain substituted amino acids or betaines.
They are surface-active, compatible with other detergents and sanitizers and unaffected by hard
water.
INORGANIC ACIDS AND ALKALINES
Strong mineral acids and caustic alkalins (boric acid, organic benzoic acids) are rarely used in routine
cleaning operations.
Some are used in specific disinfection situations (sodium carbonate, sodium hydroxide).
TEGO COMPOUNDS
These are ampholytic derivatives of dodecyldi(aminoethyl) glycine and are surface-active and
bacteriostatic. Organic matter and hard water reduce its effectiveness (non-toxic, expensive).
Certain disinfectants, e.g., coal tar preparations (cresols, phenols) are good bactericides but their
strong smell exclude the application in meat industry.
DEVELOPING A CLEANING PROGRAMME
A system of daily, weekly and monthly cleaning operations properly related to particular areas and
items combined with efficient routine maintenance must first be established.
This is done by a sanitation unit under a responsible and competent supervisor and having an
established working routine or should establish.
(Areas, equipment, cleaning techniques, frequency of treatment, types of detergents, sanitizers,
safety precautions are all determined).
A Daily Sanitation Report should be kept by the inspector on overall conditions.
This will include all parts of the plant, including lairages, indicating if satisfactory or unsatisfactory
conditions obtained and the action taken (included: standards of pest control, personal cleanliness of
stuff).
Such a record detects problem areas and measures can be taken.
The segregation of clean from dirty operationsis a prime responsibility.
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To main areas of operation must be recognized:
1)
General housekeeping functions (Floorkeeping, prevention of pile-up of waste material such as
blood, meat, fat scraps, bones, etc.), removal of waste material, control of smoking.
2)
Meat and meat product handling (e.g. carcass dressing procedures, sterilization of knives and
steels, hand, arm, apron and boot).
The main aim of meat hygiene is to prevent contamination of the end-product.
 It is necessary to set priorities in operations and in inspection those closely related to the endproduct being the most important (e.g., knives, saws, workers’ hands, arms, clothing)
 More remote sources of contamination’s (e.g., overhead rails, under surfaces of tables, walls) may
also cause serious contamination. It is the frequency of sanitation and central supervision that is
different.
OBJECTIVES OF SANITATION
1)
Visual hygiene (freedom from obvious dirt). Areas and items must look clean, feel clean and
smell clean.
2)
Chemical hygiene (no residues of cleaning compounds)
3)
Microbiological hygiene (freedom from potential pathogens).
The use of a HACCP system will be of value in determining possible hazards.
PRE-SLAUGHTER INSPECTION
Operations must not begin until a satisfactory report is received from the inspector.
Operations must also be ceased if unsatisfactory hygienic conditions occur and not recommence until
defects are remedied.
Since not possible to examine all parts at this inspection, attention should be directed to key points
(product contact and difficult to clean areas including equipment. The inspector should request the
dismantling of equipment (certain parts)..
The inspector may ask for sanitation, report, torch, surface sampling (swab, spatula), containers.
CLEANSING OPERATIONS
Dirt is usually a mixture of fatty material and solid particulate (furthermore, soil, manure, reeds, hay,
straw, hair, wool, blood) are common in the meat industry.
Water for cleaning, handwashing, carcass spraying, etc. must be of potable quality, but that of
refrigeration, steam production and fire precautions may be of lower standard.
The factors involved in cleaning efficiency are:
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Water pressure
Water flow-rate
Water temperature
Presence of organic material
Chemical action (detergent and sanitizer)
Time
Applying of breaks in slaughtering when use of hoses will be more thorough and avoid splashing of
carcass and offal.
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Final daily operations should begin immediately after operations have ceased, before fat has had
time to harden at all areas where disinfection will be done.
Detergents are followed by sanitizer operations or combination of both (82C). Use simple bacterial
checks to test the efficiency of cleaning routine.
The wide variety of processes in meat industry demands divers cleaning operations (lairages,
stunning, bleeding sector, slaughter hall, deboning department, refrigeration, meat preparation area,
offal and hide rooms, toilettes, equipment).
In lairages build up of Salmonella and Coliform organisms can occur.
Dirty lairage, faecal contamination of animal might occur.
Cold water usually is sufficient (livestock pens) but it hardens fat and blood: hot water and alkaline
detergent is needed for proper clean-up.
CLEANING OF FACILITIES
Steam is cooled at contact of cold surface, therefore it is not recommended for use.
Hot water: 60-82C is applied at high pressure (jet cleaners of 14 kgf/cm2) or spray guns (35-49
kgf/cm2), the volume of water is low (9l/min).
For greater efficiency the hot water is usually combined with a fixed amount of detergent. At times
when operations are suspended, or at the end of day’s kill.
Cleansing operations must be frequent to prevent build up bacteria, particularly on trolleys, hook and
grambrels that contact with meat.
These may be sterilised in cabinets on the overhead rail or in the sterilisation room where they are
immersed in batches in tanks containing hot alkaline detergent solution, hot rinses, derusting and
oiling solutions.
Trucks, beef trees are cleaned by hot water jets hoses. Smaller items (meat containers, knives,
cleavers) are sterilized in cabinets with hot water developed solution.
Highly sophisticated cleansing installations are not always the most efficient, and much cleansing still
has to be done manually.
Scarps of meat, fat, blood, skin and portions of various organs are accumulate as gross material.
Films of protein, fat, scale, polymerized oil and other deposits are laid down on surfaces, often
imperceptibly. A floor may look clean but have a fine film of fat on it and be dangerous and may give
high bacterial counts on laboratory examination.
To prevent the build up of scale constant use of cold water hosing and a daily (end of the day)
application of hot water (82 C) plus detergent. At less frequent intervals other cleansing methods
may be necessary. Two methods of detergency, foam and gel cleansing, greatly reduce the need of
manual work. The foam or gel adheres to the surface, allowing time for the chemical to break down
the soil that then rinsed away with hot water under pressure. Depending on if protein or fat is to be
removed, an acid or an alkaline compound respectively is used.
Unlike foam, gel does not collapse, can be applied in very hot form and is especially useful for thin,
tenacious protein or fat films where longer contact times and/or heat may be advantageous.
Advantages of foam cleansing are:
1)
It is labour saving. Large surface areas can be covered in a relatively short time. It can
penetrate inaccessible areas, often eliminating the need for the dismantling of equipment.
2)
It is economical since the foam clings to surfaces and does not run to waste.
3)
It is biodegradable and does not give rise to effluent problem.
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4)
Foam does not splash.
Hoses should be adequate in number and of short length.
The following cleaning processes are required:
1)
Remove all gross fat, skin and meat scarps. In the slaughter hall in particular, this is a roundthe-clock operation and must be associated with tidy working methods.
2)
Apply cleaning compounds at proper temperatures for their optimum activity.
3)
Rinse with hot water.
4)
Sanitize.
Proper nozzles are important: “fish tail” fan jet of water is much more effective than a round steam.
Having a sterilising room or rooms managed by specialised personnel, a high standard of hygiene
can be maintained since contaminated equipment and knives can be quickly changed and not by
carcass dressing operatives.
Personnel themselves also have to be protected from contamination and possible infection.
Consequences of poor hygienic standards:
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Bad product quality
Loss of customers
Outbreaks of food poisoning
Shelf life is affected (reduced)
Actual production delays
Condemnations
AUTOMATED CLEANING SYSTEMS
Three main types of cleaning system have been developed (USA, Germany)
 The cleaning in-place-system
It was first developed for the dairy industry.. It is a closed system. The cleaning compounds are
circulated by a pump through a series of pipes to the components to be cleaned.
It can be used for the internal cleaning of mixers, choppers, and other equipment that needs tanks
(limited application in meat industry).
 Central cleaning systems (CCS)
Central pumping unit supplies cleaning solutions under pressure to remote locations in the meat
plant.
In one branch of CCS the cleaning materials may be mixed centrally and delivered to the various
points through one manifold, the plant water supply is used for rinsing.
In the other CCS the detergent is transported through a separate manifold to each remote station
where it is mixed with the high pressure water system as required.
Thus, both pressure wash and rinse chamber can be carried out.
 The self-contained system
The pumping source and chemical spray systems contained in one unit with or without facilities for
foam production. Some forms of the system is portable.
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If a pump fails, a unit from another area can be used: flexible (In the CCS, the entire sanitation
process stops if the pump fails).
Continuous cleaning of viscera conveyors and other equipment in contact with edible material.
EMPLOYEE TRAINING
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Periodic medical examination
Report the occurrence of certain diseases that might behind of food-poisoning outbreaks
A sound training in theory and practice of good hygiene and personal hygiene
All the necessary facilities to achieve high standard of hygiene
Training on humane treatment of animal
Productivity versus high hygiene standard
Knowledge of hygiene legislation on management
Posters, lectures, films, suggestion schemes, competitions, discussion groups
Modular training schemes
Basic training in hygiene.
The job training.
On going training programs.
TERM: SANITATION
SANITATION VERSUS STERILIZATION
The cleansing of equipment is intended to remove all food residues and foreign matter from contact
surfaces, but this sanitation step does not guarantee a sanitary surface at the time of next use.
For this purpose an efficient bactericidal treatment is necessary, and sanitation, rather than
sterilization ( a more rigorous and difficult procedure) is the objective of the bactericidal treatment.
The USA Public Health Service (USPHS) has offered this definition:
“Sanitation is the application of any effective method or substance to a clean surface for the
destruction of pathogens, and other microorganisms as far as is practicable. Such treatment shall not
adversely affect the equipment, the meat, the meat product, or the health of consumers, and shall be
acceptable to the health authority”.
By contrast, sterilization is a treatment or process that destroys all microorganisms including spores,
and requires much higher temperatures than are generally feasible in meat plants.
For example, 121 C (250 F) for not less than 15 min is the required treatment to sterilize laboratory
glass-ware and metal equipment. However, this cannot be done practically in the factory.
Consequently, sanitising is the common plant practice used in industry rather than sterilisation.
For the successful use of any sterilising agent, the equipment surfaces to be sanitised must be
absolutely free of organic matter (fat, protein)) otherwise, the sanitiser will only be effective against
(micro)organisms on the surface of the soil.
Similarly, when an inadequate hot water or steam treatment is used, the heat may bake on the soil
and yet be insufficient to penetrate through the soil to kill all the bacteria, especially spore formers.
Proper heat treatment, however, has the advantage of deep penetration into equipment joints and all
surfaces, killing bacteria in areas where chemicals may fail to penetrate.
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In addition, sanitation processes are best employed just prior to use the equipment so that any
surviving organisms will not have time to multiply and recontaminate surfaces (vehicles for
transporting of final products).
TYPES OF SANITATION
HEAT
Hot water is an excellent agent for sanitary (The heat transmission properties of metal equipment
assure complete sanitation).
Steam is not recommended for sanitising because it causes:
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
Heat stresses that may rack soldered seams and welds, especially stainless steel equipment
A waste of energy as steam is dissipated to the atmosphere
Leaky valves and the rapid deterioration of rubber hoses
Noise
The destruction of paints on walls and equipment.
Chemical
Hypochlorites. The most common type of chlorine sanitisers are hypochlorites, as they are
economical and effective to use. Sodium or calcium hypochlorites at varying strengths may be
purchased in either granular liquid form, and sodium hypochlorite is also available from on-site
generators using common salt, water and electricity, the lower pH of on-site generated hypochlorite
offers an equivalent bacterial kill at lower concentrations. Chlorine in the undiluted form can be
hazardous and corrosive, and care should be taken to prepare proper strengths and to prevent injury
and damage to equipment.
Elemental chlorine. Chlorine is available as a gas in cylinders.
Organic chlorine compounds. These compounds, such as Chloramine-T, are significantly affected by
pH. Chloramine-T is much slower acting than the inorganic chlorine sanitisers.
Iodophors. In these products, iodine has been combined with non ionic wetting agents and acidified
for stability. Iodophors are generally less corrosive at proper concentrations than chlorine sanitisers.
Mixed halogens. Sanitary agents containing both chlorine and bromine are also available. The
synergetic action of the two halogens permits lower use levels than those required with regular
chemical chlorine sanitisers.
Quaternary ammonium compounds. They are non-corrosive to equipment, and their germicidal
activity is less affected by the presence of organic matter than other sanitisers. The bactericidal
effectiveness of quaternary ammonium compounds is influenced by the hardness of the water, and
the label should indicate the upper limit of water hardness in which the quaternary sanitiser is
effective. They are also less effective against certain spoilage
(Gram-negative)bacteria. This material is not recommended for use in cheese or other cultured
product factories.
Acid sanitisers. Acid sanitisers are a mixture of acids and wetting agents, and their germicidal
properties are based upon their low pH, and the activity of the wetting agents at this low pH. They are
generally slower acting than hypochlorite sanitisers.
Non-acceptable types
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Phenols and bis-phenols. Phenol and phenolic compounds have long been known for their
antibacterial action. The halogenated bis-phenols are more active than the mono-phenols from which
they are derived, e.g., hexachlorophene, but phenol or phenol derivatives, in general, are not
acceptable types for use in food processing plants.
Special Applications
Ultra-violet
Ultra-violet (UV) radiation has been used with success in the food industry for the reduction of
bacteria, fungi and viruses, and some practical applications of this approach are:(1)protecting air
intakes for laboratory, culture transfer and cultured product processing areas,(2)cleansing the air
spaces in liquid sugar tanks, (3)the reduction of air-borne organisms in "usually occupied" locations
and (4)the radiation of packaging material prior to filling, e.g., Tetra-Pak and Pitcher-Pak applications.
Since the action of UV on micro-organisms depends upon the quantity of radiation that
reaches the organisms, the system must be properly engineered and maintained. A lighting engineer
should be consulted to design the proper spacing, light radiation and protection for employees,
exposure to UV radiation can cause severe eye damage. It must be remembered that UV radiation
will not work effectively unless environmental sanitation is maintained.
Hydrogen peroxide
Hydrogen peroxide is a strong oxidising agent, but is not considered a strong bactericide. It does,
however, have the ability to change the environment such that it becomes unsuitable for the growth
of organisms. A 15 solution of Hydrogen peroxide is recommended, and analytical data should be
obtained so that the proper concentration is used, higher concentrations can cause carry-over into
the product, and a positive growth inhibitor(GI)test will result. Extreme care should be exercised in
handling hydrogen peroxide, as it is a strong oxidising agent and is potentially explosive.