MEAT HYGIENE

ILLUSTRATION
–By Wambui A. Muiruri
 MEAT HYGIENE ILLUSTRATION

 Meat Hygiene is the systematic procedure of

producing wholesome meat(food) through Meat
Control Act Cap 356
MEAT HYGIENE ILLUSTRATION

It involves:
a) Surveillance of Designated food animal, sea
food as per Kenya Gazette.

b) Points of slaughter:
– Slaughter slab
– Slaughter house (elaborate on slaughter house
composition through elaborations)
– Abattoir
 MEAT HYGIENE ILLUSTRATION
objectives of meat hygiene:
i. Protect consumes from contracting zoonotic
diseases e.g. anthrax.
ii. Stop marketing of unwholesome meat e.g. cadaver.
iii. Prevent animal meat treated with antibiotics from
being consumed.
iv. Instill standard of preparation, transportation and
sale of meat.
v. Disease surveillance through ante-mortem and
post-mortem examination e.g. RVF, Rinderpest i.e.
trans-boundary disease.
 MEAT INSPECTION
Meat inspection is the state of actual physical
observation and examination of a live animal
(ante-mortem) and a slaughtered animal(post-
mortem.)
Involves:
a. Procedure for ante-mortem
b. Procedure for post-mortem
c. Physical post-mortem
 A. Procedure of Ante-Mortem
i. Confirm origin of animal by checking movement
permits.
ii. Examine the posture of the animal; gait and
resting motion.
iii. Check and record age & nutritional value of the
animal.
iv. Take temperature of the animal by use of a
thermometer to ascertain the actual degree of
heat.
v. Follow up the origin of a sick animal.
 B. Procedure of Post-Mortem
It involves for practical methods of doing it
namely:
 Visual(i.e eyesight)
 Smell(note for any odour)
 Palpation (feel with your hands)
 Incision (make knife cuttings

<check for Cysticercus Bovis>)

 C. Physical Post-Mortem
A.HEAD
i. Visual; check the surface, eyes, gum, dental formulae
and buccal cavity.
ii. Palpation; feel the tongue the dorsal to the tip.
iii. Incision; the active muscles and also the lymph nodes.
>Incise the following lymphnodes:
 sub-maxillary /sub- mandibular inside the angle of the
jaw.
 parotid at the edge of muscles below the jaw.
 Medial retro-pharyngeal at inner of hyoid bone
 Physical Post-Mortem
B. ALIMENTARY TRACT
Visual inspection of esophagus, tracheal
palpation, incision for the need of observing
hemorrhage in the esophagus or froth in the
trachea.
C. LUNGS
i. Visualize the lungs
ii. Palpate both lobes
iii. Incise across the whole tissues on the sides
 Physical Post-Mortem
D. HEART
 Decapsulate the heart and incise the left
side from base to apex.
 Make secondary incisions on the septum

E. LIVER
 Visualize the organ
 General palpation
 Incise on the ported lymph nodes
 Make an incision between the caudate and
 Physical Post-Mortem
F. KIDNEY AND SPLEEN
 Decapsulate the kidney
 Visualize and palpate the organs
 Incise when necessary

G. BOVINE CARCASS
Inspection divided into 4 procedures namely:
i. Visual
ii. Smelling
iii. Palpation
 D. Visualize Inspection
Visualize both the inner and outer surfaces of the
carcass. Note the following;
o State of nutrition i.e. normal, emaciated e.t.c
o Evidence of wounds, bruising, hemorrhage,
coloration e.t.c
o Local or general edema(dropsy)
o Efficiency of bleeding
o Condition of various membranes e.g. pleura,
peritoneum
 LYMPH NODES
Incise the following lymphnodes;
i. Pre-scapular lymph node situated outside the carcass in
front of the scapular bone.

ii. Superficial inguinal found within the scrotum fat in males

while Supra mammary within the fat of the udder of the
females.
iii. Illiacs (internal and external) found within the fat near the
pubic bone.
iv. Ischiatic found below the posterior end of the pubic bone.
v. Renal buried in the kidney fat.
vi. Auxiliary found below the posterior end of the pubic bone.
vii. Popleteal found within the intra-muscular muscles of the
abdomen.
 JUDGEMENT
1.Unconditional passing
Fit for human consumption

2.Conditional passing
Must undergo treatment before passing e.g.
freezing.
3.Local condemnation
It’s the condemnation of part of a carcass with
corresponding lymph node organs(s) while the rest
of the carcass is passed.
4.Total condemnation
Whole carcass and organs condemned.
 TREATMENT OF C.BOVIS
(a)1-5
Freeze the meat for 10 days at [-10] degrees
Celsius
and pass it unconditionally.
(b)6-20
Freeze the meat for 10 days at [-10] degrees
Celsius
And pass conditionally especially over
contracted
DISPOSAL OF CONDEMNED MATERIALS
(I)Solid waste
They include condemned materials and
trimmings
that might have been done during post-
mortem
inspection.
Disposal methods include?
a) Condemnation Pit.
This is the most commonly used method.
Condemned materials are disposed into a pit
b) Burial.
A pit dug where the condemned materials
are buried. Incase of anthrax, the pit
should be at least 6 feet with one inch
thick layer of quick lime/ magadi soda at
the base and similar amount on top of the
carcass before returning the soil on top.
c) Burning.
Done on a shallow trench using petrol,
kerosene, firewood e.t.c
d) Incinerator.
Similar to a cremation where condemned
e) Digester.
Condemned materials are thoroughly boiled
then disposed depending on the
condemnation.
f) Dry and Wet Rendering.
Rarely practiced in Kenya but common in
industrialized countries.
 (ii)Effluent disposal(liquid wastes)

a) Lagoons.
These are wide ponds like constructions where
liquid waste is discharged in sedimentation
tanks.
b) Septic tanks.
These are underground constructed tanks
where the effluent is discharged and later
removed when full using an exhauster.
They are more efficient hygienically than soak
pits.
d) Irrigation.
The effluent can be used for irrigation
*though it ain’t recommended since it ain’t
hygienic*
e) Rivers and Lakes
The effluent can be treated and directed into
the water bodies.
 By-products
a) Blood – used to prepare blood-
used to make traditional Africa
sausage( mutura)
b) Hides and Skins – used to make traditional African
drums
c) Offals- edible and also for making ‘mutura’
d) Hooves- used to prepare hoof meal
-used to prepare soup
e) Tail – used to make a flywhisk
f) Horns – used for making gourds
- also used for making bracelets, hair
scalps, ear-rings e.t.c
g) Ruminal Contents - Used as manure
h) Gallstones – processed into aphrodisiacs to
increase sexual libido.
 Routine cleaning
The daily routine cleaning process of the
slaughter premise involves ;
i. Cleaning of the compound
ii. Maintenance of lawns
iii. Cleaning of the effluent system(passage)
The actual cleaning of the slaughter process
can be divided into the following:
a) Mechanical cleaning.
It involves the removal of trimmings and
b) Actual Washing.
Liquid detergent is preferred in this process.
Brushes are used to scrub walls, the floors,
doors e.t.c
Other equipment used is also cleaned at this
stage.
c) Rinsing and Disinfection.
Rinse the entire slaughter premise with
portable(ready to drink) water including the
equipment then disinfect using an
 Problems associated with meat inspection

a) Lack of official means of transport

b) Lack of medical cover
c) Lack of wire gloves
d) Lack of freezers at the slaughter premises
e) Lack of good personal public relationship
with the public
 -the end-
TO GOD BE ALL THE
GLORY