Impact of failure in good manufacturing practices during the production of ground beef in butcher ́s shops at three Municipalities of the Metropolitan Area of Guadalajara

Abstract

Insufficiently cooked ground beef can produce individual cases and outbreaks of diseases including salmonellosis. In México, ground beef is produced in large-scale processing plants, and also a high volume is produced in local butcher ́s shops where compliance with the good manufacturing practices (GMP) is deficient. To determine the hygiene conditions during the fabrication process and the isolation frequency of Salmonella, we analyzed 96 samples of ground beef collected from 96 butcher ́s shops located in three municipalities of the metropolitan area of Guadalajara. For each sample, enumeration of E. coli and total coliforms was performed using 3M™ Petrifilm™ plates, and the presence of Salmonella was detected using the 3M MDS molecular detection system with further confirmation by culture. Coliform counts ranged from 2.2 to 7.4 log UFC/g with a mean value of 4.7 ± 1.03 log UFC/g, while E. coli counts ranged from 1.7 to 6.9 log UFC/g and showed mean values of 3.5 ± 0.77 log UFC/g. Salmonella was detected in 68.8% of samples; the frequency observed in samples from municipalities A and B was 23.9% and 21% for municipality C. The frequency of Salmonella and the E. coli counts were not different among samples collected from the three municipalities (p > 0.05). From those samples that tested positive for Salmonella, 36.3% showed E. coli counts ≥5,000 CFU/g. Failure to comply with the GMP in the butcher ́s shops resulted in the fabrication of ground beef with high microbial load and high frequency of Salmonella, originating a potential health risk of consumers. It is necessary to improve training in GMP among butcher ́s shops workers, and also to intensify official inspections by authorities to enforce their compliance.