Evaluation of the Quality of Meat in Dr. Abubakar Sola Saraki Memorial Abattoir Akerebiata, Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria

International Journal of Research and Scientific Innovation (IJRSI) | Volume VII, Issue XI, November 2020 | ISSN 2321–2705

Evaluation of the Quality of Meat in Dr. Abubakar Sola Saraki Memorial Abattoir Akerebiata, Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria

Sawyerr H.O (PhD)¹, Ayinla L.O¹, Opaola O.A¹, Oluwatuyi S.V^1,2*, Dada A.A¹, Oguntade S.A¹, Salami J.T^1
1Department of Environmental Health Science, Kwara State University, Malete, Ilorin, Nigeria
²Department of Public Health, Ekiti State College of Health Sciences and Technology, Ijero-Ekiti, Nigeria
*Corresponding Author

Abstract
Meat quality is a public health issue that requires serious attention of Environmental Health Scientist and the general public. We are what we eat! The rate at which meat animals are handled, slaughter dressed, transported, sold and prepared has a lot of impact on the meat quality. In most cases, butchers give little or no attention to the quality of meat sold at slaughter houses and abattoir in Nigeria which is dangerous to public health. The study was carried out to evaluate the quality of meat in Dr. Abubakar Sola Saraki memorial abattoir, Akerebiata, Ilorin.
Microbial analysis was carried out on the beef part (offal, carcass and skin). Five organisms were isolated namely: Escherichia coli, staphylococcus, Klebsiella, Shigella and Salmonella and this is attributed to unhygienic practices in the abattoir. Efforts should be made by EHS personnel and the government to regulate meat handling and sale through routine inspection of abattoir and slaughter houses in order to protect consumer health and prevent possible threats to consumers.

Keywords: Meat, Butchers, Abattoir, EHS, Microbe, Meat inspection

Introduction
Meat is the dressed flesh or a carcass and it provides the body with protein. Ingestion of contaminated meat leads to food borne diseases[1]. Different studies have shown that exposure of meat to contaminants and pollutants continue to be on the rise in developing and under developed countries.[2,3,4] Red Meat is consumed on a large scale hence, its quality preparation and handling before sale should be treated as important[4,5]. Abattoir is a place or slaughter house where animals are slaughtered and sold for human consumption. Abattoir Acts (1988) defined abattoir as any premises used for or in connection with the slaughter of animals whose meat is intended for human consumption and include a slaughterhouse but does not include a place situated on a farm. Animals include cattle, sheep, pigs, goats and other equine animals. Slaughtering of animals cannot be avoided as people demand on red meat is on the increase daily[5,6]. In the 16th century, Abattoir is traceable to the Roman Empire where there are designated public slaughter slab[8,9,10]. Nigeria has slaughter houses sited in almost all settlements. It was reported that the slaughter of animals in abattoirs of developing countries was carried out in unsuitable buildings by untrained slaughter men and butchers that were unaware of sanitary principles [11,12].In most abattoirs in Africa countries, evidence of cattle dung is dumped noticeable and are not evacuated or removed, blood of animals are not properly drained, fly is not controlled, open waste dump site for animal waste and use of unsterilized slaughtering and dressing equipment which contributes immensely to outbreak of meat borne diseases[13,14].

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