[Microbiological quality of fresh and stored ground meat from commercial production].

In the last quarter of 1993 we investigated 295 samples of minced meat on 59 days of production (5 samples each day). EC-regulations (88/657/EEC, changed by 92/110/EEC) were considered. We looked for the total aerobic count, E. coli, Staph. aureus and Salmonella. Factors that could influence the results were examined as day of sampling, storage under defined conditions, ph-value etc. Most important for the microbiological quality of the product was the quality of the processed meat. In most cases samples fulfilled the strict microbiological requirements of the EC-regulation. After storage for 2 days at 2 degrees C there was no detectable alteration of the microflora of minced meat. Beginning with the third day total aerobic count increased significantly explainable by the increase of pseudomonads. There were problems with minced meat produced from beef, that was of lower quality and not fresh. EC-regulations can be fulfilled and are reasonable in case of industrial production when considering the quality of the processed meat and seasonal differences. Therefore microbiological quality control is justified.