Bioreduction of Sheep Carcasses Effectively Contains and Reduces Pathogen Levels under Operational and Simulated Breakdown Conditions

Gwyther, Ceri L.; Jones, David L.; Golyshin, Peter N.; Edwards-Jones, Gareth; McKillen, John; McNair, Irene; McDonald, James E. and Williams, A. Prysor (2013). Bioreduction of Sheep Carcasses Effectively Contains and Reduces Pathogen Levels under Operational and Simulated Breakdown Conditions. Environmental Science & Technology, 47(10) pp. 5267–5275.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/es400183z

Abstract

Options for the storage and disposal of animal carcasses are extremely limited in the EU after the introduction of the EU Animal By-products Regulations (ABPR; EC/1774/2002), leading to animosity within the livestock sector and the call for alternative methods to be validated. Novel storage technologies such as bioreduction may be approved under the ABPR provided that they can be shown to prevent pathogen proliferation. We studied the survival of Enterococcus faecalis, Salmonella spp., E. coli O157 and porcine parvovirus in bioreduction vessels containing sheep carcasses for approximately 4 months. The vessels were operated under two different scenarios: (A) where the water within was aerated and heated to 40 °C, and (B) with no aeration or heating, to simulate vessel failure. Microbial analysis verified that pathogens were contained within the bioreduction vessel and indeed reduced in numbers with time under both scenarios. This study shows that bioreduction can provide an effective and safe on-farm storage system for livestock carcasses prior to ultimate disposal. The findings support a review of the current regulatory framework so that bioreduction is considered for approval for industry use within the EU.

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• Item ORO ID
• 50911
• Item Type
• Journal Item
• ISSN
• 0013-936X
• Project Funding Details

• Funded Project Name	Project ID	Funding Body
  Not Set	Not Set	BPEX
  Not Set	Not Set	Welsh Government
  Not Set	Not Set	Hybu Cig Cymru−Meat Promotion Wales
  Not Set	Not Set	NFU Cymru

• Academic Unit or School
• Faculty of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)
• Copyright Holders
• © 2013 American Chemical Society
• Depositing User
• Ceri Gwyther