Microbiological Quality of Red Meat Offal Produced at Australian Export Establishments.

A national baseline study of offal hygiene was undertaken at 17 Australian export establishments. A total of 1756 samples of different offal types were analysed for aerobic plate count (APC), generic , and coliform bacteria. Average APC values varied from 1.51 to 5.26 Log CFU/g, depending on species and offal type. The average APC on beef, sheep, lamb, and goat offal was 3.25, 3.38, 3.70, and 2.97 Log CFU/g, respectively. There is a small but significant difference in APC on offal sampled frozen (3.26 Log CFU/g) and offal sampled fresh (3.73 Log CFU/g). prevalence on beef, sheep, lamb, and goat offal was 15.4%, 28.1%, 17.5%, and 39.3%, respectively. The number of on positive offal samples ranged from 1.42 to 1.82 Log CFU/g. While the quality of some offal approach that of muscle meat, the hygienic quality of red meat offal can be understood by considering the anatomical site from which it is harvested, the usual bacterial levels found at that site, the difficulty in hygienically removing the offal from the carcase, the process prior to packing, and the chilling method used.