Study on Salmonella sp. in the head part of carcasses from slaughtered pigs

To define the importance of the head part of pigs’ carcasses as a potential vehicle of Salmonella, 105 carcasses were sampled at one abattoir. The results revealed the presence of Salmonella sp. in 25 samples (23.8%), which corresponds to a higher value than those previously presented by the same authors in similar studies in pig carcasses (12,9%). By means of serotyping, were identified 5 different serotypes: S. Typhimurium (9, 36%), S. London (6 24%), S. Rissen (6 24%), S. Agona (3, 12%) and S. Goldcoast (1, 4%). This study underlines the importance that the head part of the pigs’ carcass can take as a source of Salmonella throughout meat chain and a potential vehicle, direct or indirect, to the final consumer. For this reason, the authors suggest that increased hygienic measures should be adopted during head processing and cutting, especially if its meat will be subsequently used for sausage or smoked meat (Figure 1) production that could be consumed without any kind of heat treatment