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Wednesday 02 April 2008
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To view the latest Ratites newsletter (nr. 15) click here
Ostrich meat microbiology
There is an EU regulation on meat production that forces the
industry to apply an HACCP system, either by official institutions or by
companies. This system includes frequent meat sampling for microbiological
tests, in order to achieve healthy meat products, hygienic improvements for meat
processing, pathogen free samples and to comply with the EU and the national
regulations (i.e. EU Decision 2072/05).
Microbiological tests have a limited value for guaranteeing
food safety, but that control measure for meat means the end of an era for the
industry and their products. A lot of international administrative requirements
have been achieved by the meat companies before the test. Meat sampling is in
fact a sign of industry maturity.
When no legal EU specific regulation is available on
microbiological composition of ostrich meat, criteria from reference labs and
scientific institutions may be considered. In Spain we have the National Food
Centre (CAN) an international laboratory under ISO 17025 standards.
Spain is a recognized international reference on ostrich meat
research in this area (Alonso-Calleja, 2004; Capita, 2006
) but specific microbiological criteria for ostrich meat is not
applied. Beef reference figures are still used for ostrich meat sampling- as
it´s probably done in other EU countries.
In order to approve microbiological criteria of non-EU
countries (like Brazil or South Africa) references from scientific institutions
should be recognized by EU authorities. Their microbiological methods need to be
validated under international ISO standards. Those institutions should indeed
support the commercial microbiological criteria from meat companies in the
international meat trade, because of their poor legal value.
Due to the present lack of approved international standards for
fresh and frozen ostrich meat in Europe and because of a greater demand for
healthy products, the objective is to determine what the microbiological
criteria is. Europe is apparently more involved and supportive than Brazil or
South Africa in terms of meat microbiology research (Fernández-López, 2008
). Although Brazilian industries and institutions should achieve,
what the EU has yet to achieve, the adherence and regulation of international
microbiological criteria for ostrich meat sampling.
QUESTION
Has your country a specific microbiological criteria on ostrich
meat sampling?.....
To view the latest Ratites newsletter (nr. 15) click here
- Author: Eduardo Carbajo
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