Impact of Transport and Related Stresses on the Incidence and Extent of Human Pathogens in Pigmeat and Poultry

Meat products are very important sources of protein in the human diet. The contamination of these products with pathogenic microorganisms, such as Salmonella and Campylobacter, make both production and consumption of them a precarious proposition. Several methods can decrease the level of contamination with these pathogenic microorganisms. However, there are still situations of high microbial load which cannot be explained and are often attributed to stress. This paper describes the effect of transport, husbandry and nutrition practices on contamination of slaughtered products. Examples of the stress occurring during fattening, catching and loading, transport and conditioning at the processing plant, are given.