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Animals
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Hygienic-Sanitary Problems Related to Livestock Species Slaughtering
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Hygienic-Sanitary Problems Related to Livestock Species Slaughtering

A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Animal System and Management".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2020) | Viewed by 14467

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Giancarlo Bozzo

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Veterinary Medicine (DIMEV), University of Bari Aldo Moro, Strada Provinciale per Casamassima km 3, 70010 Valenzano, Italy
Interests: animal welfare; slaughterhouse; epidemiology; risk assessment; food
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In public health, the availability of data on the epidemiological situation of diseases of veterinary interest represents an important tool for improving decision-making processes. In this sense, the slaughterhouse is considered an epidemiological center for the control of animal health and zoonosis.

Therefore, I invite submissions on recent findings, such as original research, reviews, or case reports, on (i) epidemiological assessments detectable by slaughter; (ii) effects of animal welfare on meat quality during transport and slaughtering; (iii) control of foodborne disease during slaughter; and (iv) technological innovations applicable to slaughter.

Prof. Giancarlo Bozzo
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Animals is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • slaughterhouse
  • meat hygiene
  • inspection
  • welfare
  • animal protection

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 616 KiB  
Article
A Retrospective Study after 10 Years (2010–2019) of Meat Inspection Activity in a Domestic Swine Abattoir in Tuscany: The Slaughterhouse as an Epidemiological Observatory
by Lisa Guardone, Alessio Vitali, Filippo Fratini, Stefano Pardini, Beniamino Terzo Cenci Goga, Daniele Nucera and Andrea Armani
Animals 2020, 10(10), 1907; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani10101907 - 18 Oct 2020
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 3272
Abstract
The activities performed by the Official Veterinarian at the slaughterhouse represent a useful source of data for the control of issues affecting human and animal health and welfare. This study analyzed the data deriving from ten years (2010–2019) of meat inspection in a [...] Read more.
The activities performed by the Official Veterinarian at the slaughterhouse represent a useful source of data for the control of issues affecting human and animal health and welfare. This study analyzed the data deriving from ten years (2010–2019) of meat inspection in a pig slaughterhouse in Tuscany (Italy) to investigate the transport mortality rate and the frequencies and main causes of whole carcass and partial condemnations. In total, 1,246,309 pigs were slaughtered from 8 different regions of Central and Northern Italy. Overall, 1153 pigs died during transport (mortality rate 0.09%). Whole carcass condemnation affected 372 carcasses (0.03%), mainly due to erysipelas, generalized jaundice, lipomatous pseudohypertrophy, generalized abscesses, acute or generalized enteritis, and peritonitis. As regards partial condemnations, the liver was the most frequently condemned (~30% of the pigs), followed by lungs (17.3%), heart (6.9%), and kidney (0.9%). The main causes were “milk spot liver” and perihepatitis for the liver; pneumonia and pleurisy for the lungs; pericarditis and polyserositis for the heart; and polycystic kidney and nephritis for kidneys. The results of this study describe a non-worrying situation as regards the investigated aspects and confirm the slaughterhouse as a valid epidemiological observatory for monitoring the trend of the main diseases over time, the results of the efforts for their control, and the compliance with animal welfare standards. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Hygienic-Sanitary Problems Related to Livestock Species Slaughtering)
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13 pages, 771 KiB  
Article
Pilot Study of the Relationship between Deck Level and Journey Duration on Plasma Cortisol, Epinephrine and Norepinephrine Levels in Italian Heavy Pigs
by Giancarlo Bozzo, Barbara Padalino, Elisabetta Bonerba, Roberta Barrasso, Vincenzo Tufarelli, Martina Zappaterra and Edmondo Ceci
Animals 2020, 10(9), 1578; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani10091578 - 04 Sep 2020
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 1905
Abstract
The aim of this pilot study was to evaluate the relationship between journey duration, deck level and activation patterns of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical axis (HPA) and sympathetic adrenal medullary system (SAM) in pigs. A total of 90 pigs were examined. The animals came from [...] Read more.
The aim of this pilot study was to evaluate the relationship between journey duration, deck level and activation patterns of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical axis (HPA) and sympathetic adrenal medullary system (SAM) in pigs. A total of 90 pigs were examined. The animals came from three different Italian farms associated with the same slaughterhouse located in Bari (Apulia region-Italy). A group of thirty animals was transported from Pordenone (11 h journey); a second group was transported from Terni (6.5 h journey); a third group was transported from Benevento (3 h journey). The animals were transported in the same vehicle, which complied with the structural characteristics indicated in the Council Regulation (EC) No. 1/2005. The truck was composed of a lorry and a trailer, each one divided into three decks. Only the animals transported in the trailer were tested for the study. Before transportation, blood samples were collected on each farm, at 6:00 a.m., from 30 pigs randomly selected out of 135 pigs ready to be transported. Blood samples were also collected during slaughter to evaluate plasma cortisol, epinephrine and norepinephrine, around 6:00 a.m. A journey duration of 11 h was associated with significantly higher plasma concentrations of stress hormones compared with shorter journeys. This increase was proportional to the journey duration, with the pigs travelling for 6.5 h displaying intermediate concentrations between those noticed after 3 h and 11 h journeys. The interaction between deck and journey distance was not significant on epinephrine, norepinephrine or cortisol levels collected at arrival. There was a significant effect of deck level on norepinephrine levels (p < 0.0001), a tendency to influence epinephrine levels (p = 0.073) but no effect on cortisol levels (p = 0.945). Overall, we observed that an 11 h-long journey seemed to impact negatively on pigs’ HPA-SAM activity, likely requiring the animals to spend more time in the lairage facilities to recover. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Hygienic-Sanitary Problems Related to Livestock Species Slaughtering)
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12 pages, 949 KiB  
Article
Analysis of the Factors Influencing Veterinary Food Inspectors in Poland
by Joanna Wojtacka, Beata Wysok and Joanna Szteyn
Animals 2020, 10(5), 884; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani10050884 - 19 May 2020
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2481
Abstract
The evaluation of the quality of Veterinary Inspection in Poland has received much attention in the past few years. Veterinarians working as Food Inspectors face numerous and newly arising problems in the protection of animal health status, providing surveillance information on the occurrence [...] Read more.
The evaluation of the quality of Veterinary Inspection in Poland has received much attention in the past few years. Veterinarians working as Food Inspectors face numerous and newly arising problems in the protection of animal health status, providing surveillance information on the occurrence of diseases, and carrying out risk analyses of the hazards related to food of animal origin. From the 130 active veterinarians attending the post graduate courses in “Hygiene of slaughter animals, meat and animal origin products” in Poland, 119 took part in the survey. The questionnaire consisted of 15 questions that delivered information on demographic features of the respondents, and various aspects of the course of their work: (a) Motivation to undertake work in food safety sector, (b) overall job satisfaction, (c) crucial negative factors and (d) occupational hazards. Participants were mainly under 40 years of age. They were Veterinary Food Inspectors working as Official and Approved Veterinarians. Permanent position and economic reasons were their main motivation in the food safety sector. They indicated problems related to insufficient training in ante and post mortem examination, work with legal acts and risk analysis. They also declared a lack of preparation in coping with crisis situations. One third of the respondents declared their health and lives were endangered, while fulfilling professional duties and pointed at different sources of hazards. The overall evaluation of the work in food safety sector was rated good and satisfactory. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Hygienic-Sanitary Problems Related to Livestock Species Slaughtering)
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18 pages, 3138 KiB  
Article
Protection of Animals during Transport: Analysis of the Infringements Reported from 2009 to 2013 during On-Road Inspections in Italy
by Barbara Padalino, Roberta Barrasso, Daniele Tullio, Martina Zappaterra, Leonardo Nanni Costa and Giancarlo Bozzo
Animals 2020, 10(2), 356; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani10020356 - 22 Feb 2020
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3236
Abstract
Council Regulation (EC) No 1/2005 requires that vehicles that are transporting animals be subjected to checks conducted by competent authorities. Yearly, each member state sends a report to the European government on the infringements that have been discovered during on-road inspections. The reports [...] Read more.
Council Regulation (EC) No 1/2005 requires that vehicles that are transporting animals be subjected to checks conducted by competent authorities. Yearly, each member state sends a report to the European government on the infringements that have been discovered during on-road inspections. The reports that were published by the Italian Ministry of Public Health from 2009 to 2013 were analyzed. Possible associations between the type of infringement (related to animal welfare (AW), vehicle (V) and accompanying documents (D)), year, season, transported species, place of inspection, and competent authorities were identified. A total of 985 infringements were analyzed, with some vehicles receiving more than one (mean: 1.58; max: 9). A score (from 1 to 3) that was related to the severity of the infringements was created. In 2009 and 2010, there was a 50% higher probability of encountering penalties of a lower severity (D or V) than in 2011 (p < 0.0001). Vehicles that were transporting pigs showed the highest probability of committing animal welfare-related infringements (odds ratio (OR) = 3.85, 95% confidence interval (95%CI) = 1.82–8.76, p < 0.0001). Vehicles were four times more likely to suffer animal welfare-related penalties when traffic police worked in synergy with veterinary services (OR = 4.12, 95%CI = 1.70–11.13, p = 0.0005). Vehicles that were transporting Equidae and “other species,” including pets, for commercial purposes were more likely to be fined for a lack or incompleteness of the veterinary documents than those transporting cattle (p = 0.002 and p = 0.004, respectively). This study gives statistical evidence of the implementation of EC 1/2005. The training of transporters and drivers on how to manage transport in an animal welfare-friendly manner and a standardized method on how to conduct road inspections among competent authorities are recommended. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Hygienic-Sanitary Problems Related to Livestock Species Slaughtering)
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9 pages, 2555 KiB  
Article
Pseudomonas azotoformans Belonging to Pseudomonas fluorescens Group as Causative Agent of Blue Coloration in Carcasses of Slaughterhouse Rabbits
by Elena Circella, Antonella Schiavone, Roberta Barrasso, Antonio Camarda, Nicola Pugliese and Giancarlo Bozzo
Animals 2020, 10(2), 256; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani10020256 - 06 Feb 2020
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2969
Abstract
The study describes the finding of an abnormal blue-tinged color found on rabbit carcasses in the refrigeration cell of two butcher shops in Apulia Region. The carcasses were from an industrial rabbitry for production of meat with a regularly authorized slaughterhouse. Pseudomonas azotoformans [...] Read more.
The study describes the finding of an abnormal blue-tinged color found on rabbit carcasses in the refrigeration cell of two butcher shops in Apulia Region. The carcasses were from an industrial rabbitry for production of meat with a regularly authorized slaughterhouse. Pseudomonas azotoformans, a microorganism included in Pseudomonas fluorescens group, was isolated from samples collected by the altered carcasses, showing the growth of uniform bacterial colonies with fluorescent pigmentation. The bacterium was also isolated from an additional water sample and from the labelling gun collected in the slaughterhouse, whilst the knives used for slaughtering resulted negative. Chromatic alteration was experimentally reproduced on new carcasses using a 108 cfu/mL bacterial suspension prepared with the isolated strain. Due to their resistance characteristics, members of P. fluorescens group are very difficult to eradicate once introduced into the production environment. Therefore, their presence, even if not considered a public health problem, should be monitored by food industry operators in self-control plans. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Hygienic-Sanitary Problems Related to Livestock Species Slaughtering)
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