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Quantitative microbiological risk assessment of non-typhoidal Salmonella in pork belly under Philippine setting
Thesis Abstract:
Quantitative Microbiological Risk Assessment (QMRA) was performed to evaluate the public health risk of consuming pork belly contaminated with Salmonella. The food pathway was focused from the time the pig carcass was hanged, halved, and loaded into meat delivery vans at the slaughterhouse until consumption. The assessment followed the Codex guidelines and utilized the Modular Process Risk Model (MPRM) method. The baseline and alternative scenarios predicted a decrease in the number of Salmonella from distribution or transport to consumption, with a slight rise in the level of Salmonella in the alternative scenario during distribution or transport. However, the population is still at risk of becoming infected with salmonellosis based on the baseline scenario. The model also revealed that adults (20–59 years) are the most at risk in developing salmonellosis due to the amount of servings of pork belly consumed. It was concluded that reduction in the initial load of Salmonella in the carcass, as well as the right time and temperature during transport, refrigeration, and cooking contributed to the reduction of risk in contracting salmonellosis in the population and the different age groups. It was recommended that control measures be implemented to reduce the risk, such as chilling of carcass to 7°C, loading the carcass in refrigerated vans, and application of proper cooking time and temperature on the pork belly.