Search results

The primary objective was to determine the prevalence of indicator microorganisms [Staphylococcus aureus, non-S. aureus staphylococci (NSAS), coliforms and aerobic bacteria] for contamination of chicken carcasses, carcass drip and rinse water from the informal chicken market in Gauteng, South Africa.

Chicken swabs, chicken drips and rinse waters were collected from 151 chickens from 47 random outlets. Pre-tested questionnaires were administered to capture the risk factors for bacterial contamination. Standard microbiological procedures were conducted for isolation and enumeration of target bacteria.

NSAS (64% and 41%) and S. aureus (12% and 31%) were prevalent on carcasses and in carcass drip respectively. Coliforms (62%) and aerobic bacteria (85%) were detected in rinse water. Significant risk factors for contamination of carcasses with NSAS, S. aureus and coliform organisms were: evisceration of chickens on the same location used for sale, cleaning of display counter with dirty clothes/wipes, holding of differently sourced chickens in the same cage prior to slaughter, not cleaning the display table/counter and hands at all, washing knives in rinse water, high turnover of daily slaughter and length of time to display chickens.

The limitations of this research were the limited geographical coverage and small sample size.

The isolation of these indicator microorganisms suggests the potential presence of other chicken-borne pathogens not tested for in the study.

The findings serve to inform policy on public health and street-vended food and can guide control on good sanitary practices.

This is the first comprehensive report on ready to eat chickens from the informal markets in Gauteng, South Africa.

A questionnaire‐based survey was conducted to establish the current market requirements for lamb and those likely in the future. Two questionnaires were produced and sent to the largest lamb abattoirs and retailers in the UK. Current markets generally require a carcass of weight 16‐21kg, conformation E‐R and fat score 2 or 3L. The forecast for future requirements was not clear, but some respondents expressed a desire to narrow the specification ranges given and also to increasingly use carcasses heavier than 21kg to supply bone‐less lamb. A two market scenario, one for medium sized lambs to supply bone‐in cuts and the other for heavier, lean carcasses to supply the boneless lamb, may develop in the long term. The results of this study form a useful basis on which to decide on suitable objectives for genetic improvement programs for sheep breeds, which can be used to help lamb producers meet the requirements of current and likely future markets.

This study focuses on a specific method of meat production that involves carcass purchase and meat production by packing facilities with a novel two-stage model that simultaneously considers location-routing and inventory-production operating decisions. The considered problem aims to reduce variable and fixed transportation and production costs, inventory holding cost and the cost of opening cold storage facilities.

The proposed model encompasses a two-stage model consisting of a single-echelon and a three-echelon many-to-many network with deterministic demand. The proposed model is a mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) model which was tested with the general algebraic modelling system (GAMS) software for a real-world case study in Iran. A sensitivity analysis was performed to examine the effect of retailers' holding capacity and supply capacity at carcass suppliers.

In this research, the number of products transferred at each level, the number of products held, the quantity of red meat produced, the required cold storage facilities and the required vehicles were optimally specified. The outcomes indicated a two percent (2%) decrease in cost per kg of red meat. Eventually, the outcomes of the first and second sensitivity analysis indicated that reduced retailers' holding capacity and supply capacity at carcass suppliers leads to higher total costs.

This research proposes a novel multi-period location-inventory-routing problem for the red meat supply chain in an emerging economy with a heterogeneous vehicle fleet and logistics decisions. The proposed model is presented in two stages and four-echelon including carcass suppliers, packing facilities, cold storage facilities and retailers.

Discusses research carried out by the Advanced Manufacturing and Automation Research Centre [AMARC], University of Bristol into the automation of two areas of meat production, the butchery of half carcasses into main joints and the evisceration of whole carcasses. Describes how the robotic butchery process requires sensing, determination of cut‐paths and trajectories for the robot, mechanical cutting using appropriate tools and the ability to transport, manipulate and hold each carcass during cutting and how each of these areas bas been integrated into a practical system. Also describes the system developed for robotic evisceration. Concludes that this research work has led to two industrial demonstrator systems for processing meat carcasses which have had encouraging response from potential customers.

The fat content of beef is of considerable importance, both nutritionally and in terms of its perceived effects on eating qualities. Several methods of evaluating the fat content of beef carcasses and beef longissimus dorsi were compared, including chemical assay of the fat content of beef L.dorsi, carcass measurements made in the slaughterhouse and the dissection of a sample rib joint. The reliability of techniques used to measure fat content is very important and it is critical that different techniques which are thought to estimate the same parameter, i.e. total fat content, should in fact produce comparable results. The results from this study indicate, however, that the measurements of carcass fat made at slaughter and dissection agree well, although much lower levels of agreement were achieved between the carcass fat measurements and the chemical determination of the fat content in the L.dorsi. Discusses possible reasons for this.

The purpose of this paper is to propose an new online path planning method for porcine belly cutting. With the proliferation in demand for the automatic systems of pork production, the development of efficient and robust meat cutting algorithms are hot issues. The uncertain and dynamic nature of the online porcine belly cutting imposes a challenge for the robot to identify and cut efficiently and accurately. Based on the above challenges, an online porcine belly cutting method using 3D laser point cloud is proposed.

The robotic cutting system is composed of an industrial robotic manipulator, customized tools, a laser sensor and a PC.

Analysis of experimental results shows that by comparing with machine vision, laser sensor-based robot cutting has more advantages, and it can handle different carcass sizes.

An image pyramid method is used for dimensionality reduction of the 3D laser point cloud. From a detailed analysis of the outward and inward cutting errors, the outward cutting error is the limiting condition for reducing the segments by segmentation algorithm.

This paper aims to provide an assessment of the growth in marketing contracts in the US pork industry as an efficient means to control pork quality and reduce transaction costs.

Information collected from pork quality and safety summits sponsored by the National Pork Producers Council in cooperation with the National Pork Board, published surveys of large packers related to contract use, and 15 contracts submitted by producers to the Iowa Attorney General's Office from 1996 to 2001 were examined. The theoretical framework used combines branches of the industrial organization literature.

The paper provides information documenting the growing importance of addressing pork quality problems in the 1990s and how marketing contracts between packers and producers can help address these problems. Recognizes their role in reducing transaction costs associated with carcass pricing programs, reducing pork quality measuring costs, providing quality control, and reducing costs of adapting to quality uncertainty.

The list of contracts examined is a small collection of contracts voluntarily submitted by producers, and pertains to a specific geographic section of the USA. Thus, they may not be representative of the entire industry.

The paper provides background information on quality issues faced by the US pork industry and a framework for better understanding the potential role of marketing contracts in addressing these issues.

This paper provides rather unique institutional background information on important changes occurring in the US pork industry in the 1990s and the role of the growth in marketing contracts in addressing related pork quality issues over time. Given the proprietary nature of specific contract terms, a small sample of long‐term marketing contracts is analyzed to better understand contract design.

Contamination of red meat with foodborne pathogens is associated with symptom‐less carriage of the organisms in the live animal. In the United Kingdom, meat is an acknowledged source of human food poisoning from Salmonella and Clostridium perfringens, and other pathogens that are sometimes present may also be important in this respect. Within the EU, much attention has been given to improving the design and structure of abattoirs, although, in themselves, such changes do not ensure low levels of microbial contamination. However, it has been suggested that, with due care in slaughtering and meat handling, microbial counts from carcasses can be reduced from around 10³‐10⁴ to 10²‐10³/cm² and that contamination with any foodborne pathogens can also be reduced. Discusses those stages in meat handling which have the greatest effect on carcass contamination and the importance of using a system of quality assurance that incorporates the hazard analysis critical control point concept (HACCP). As an adjunct to good abattoir hygiene, possible processes for decontamination of finished carcasses, especially with hot water or lactic acid, are considered.

Cattle from three cohorts were followed from rearing to slaughter in a lifetime study of the factors affecting the quantity and quality of saleable meat produced. The cattle were from either Hereford or Charolais sires, were either heifers or steers and were either bucket reared or suckled. Winter feeding treatments were imposed using different levels of concentrates in combination with ad lib grass silage. During the following summer the cattle grazed pastures with two different grass heights. A portion of the cattle were slaughtered at turnout (May), and during June/July, August, September, November and the following April. The present paper reports studies of carcass cooling characteristics and the eating quality of the meat. Immediately after slaughter, in commercial abattoirs, probes were attached to the carcasses and the temperature was monitored for approximately 36 hours. Although considerable variation was observed in cooling rates this could not be attributed to animal production factors. However, a weak relationship was observed with condition score (fat content) measured on the live animal immediately prior to slaughter. Carcasses from animals with higher condition scores cooled more slowly. The eating quality of the meat was assessed by a consumer panel consisting of staff and students from Queen Margaret University College. Although large differences in eating quality were recorded, these differences could not be attributed to animal production factors. Beef producers should therefore maximise production of saleable meat from each animal whilst minimising the cost of so doing.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the influencing factors on cattle breeders’ payment system choices using cross-sectional data collected in the Brazilian states of Mato Grosso do Sul and Rio Grande do Sul. The investigation aims to analyze the problem of value appropriation comparing the payment based on carcass index with live weight mode under the perspective of “bovine for slaughtering” as a multidimensional product with various attributes.

This study employs a generalized order logistic regression model in a survey with 69 cattle breeders’ interview to conduct the empirical analysis.

The empirical results show that measurement difficulties and collective actions influence farmers’ choice to a less efficient payment system in quality terms and value appropriation problems, while the trust level in the slaughterhouse pushes to a more efficient system. Furthermore, trust was presented as more important than technological aspects and long-time relationship as well as collective action corroborates to increase bargaining power and to solve conflicts. In sum, trust, measurement and bargaining power brought traditional and alternative solutions to solve conflicts such as well-designed payment indicators, collective actions and transaction costs.

This study used first-hand survey and proxy variables on cattle farmers’ payment system choices. Another contribution is the focus on two regions with two different payment systems in the same institutional environment in a way to suggest mechanisms of private strategies and public policy to reduce opportunistic value appropriation as well as decreasing conflict.