Matos, Teresa de Jesus da SilvaFeija, Sandra Maria Caeiro MadeiraReis, Isabel Margarida Lopes Santos Prado Correia2012-03-142012-03-142011Reis, Isabel Margarida Lopes Santos Prado Correia - Estudo da optimização efectuada na linha de abate de bovinos da Santacarnes, S.A.. Lisboa: ISA, 2011http://hdl.handle.net/10400.5/4068Mestrado em Engenharia Alimentar - Instituto Superior de AgronomiaBeef meat is highly valued and preferred when it comes to livestock species. It is therefore necessary that it reaches the consumer in the best hygienic and sanitary conditions. Human health depends, to a great extent, on the quality and healthiness of the food, as these can constitute a potential sanitary risk. Regarding meat, it is the slaughterhouse which is greatly responsible for its quality. The aim of this work is to study the effects in the slaughter line, reducing the time between the stunning and the bleeding, increasing the time between the next tasks and consequently improving the working conditions of the operators and the hygiene throughout the process, noticing a decrease in the spoilage of the carcass, which has a reflection in the results of the management indicators analysed. This optimization was tested by the evaluation of the control of the productive process, good practices of production, the process of hygiene and organization of the cutting utensils, the level control of the carcass hygiene and the bacteriologic profile of the surfaces and cutting utensils. In this study, the microbiologic results relating to the carcass and the cutting utensils before and after optimization of the slaughtering line, reflected a decrease in values not only in aerobic mesophilic micro-organisms 30ºC, but also in Enterobacteriaceae and Salmonella. This improvement at a microbiological level is a great indicator of the efficiency of the hygiene process along the productive process and the improvements undergone in the slaughtering technology, resulting in high quality meat.porbeef meatslaughterhousefood safetymicrorganismindicators of hygienemeat qualitymaster thesis