A STUDY ON GROUND MEAT MICROFLORA

Kenan TUNÇ ¹ , Ayşegül HOŞ ²

The purpose of this study was to conduct a microbiological analysis of retail ground meat produced and marketed by butchers in Ulus district covered bazaar in Ankara city center in 2009 (in December, January, February, and June, July, August). Some members of Enterobacteriaceae family, Staphylococcus aureus, aerobe mesophyll bacteria, some molds and yeasts were identified in ground mutton and ground beef samples. We found that a number of bacteria identified in our study did not comply with Turkish Food Codex microbiological criteria. The fact that molds and yeasts identified in ground meat samples suggests that hygiene rules were not followed during the production process. Some members of Enterobacteriaceae family were found in high numbers at a level that causes risk. Staphylococcus aureus bacteria were not found.

Keywords
Ground meat, Microflora, Ground beef, Ground mutton, Microbiological risks,