Detection of airborne bacteria and fungi in meat plants

The present work aimed to determine the total airborne bacterial and fungal loads in three meat plants, identify the isolated fungi, and determine the fungal diversity. The air samples were collected from 23 different sampling points within the meat plants using two different techniques: the Petri dish exposure (sedimentation) method and the impaction method (using Mas-100 Eco Air Sampler device). Using the sedimentation method, the total mesophilic aerobic bacterial and fungal counts were found to be 1 - 180 CFU/Petri-15 min (mean 48.49 CFU/Petri-15 min) and 1 - 105 CFU/Petri (mean 19.845 CFU/Petri), respectively. Using the impaction method, the counts ranged from 8 to 385 CFU/m³ (mean 112.77 CFU/m³) for bacteria, and from 2 to 320 CFU/m³ (mean 57.45 CFU/m³) for fungi. A total of 76 isolates were obtained. The most commonly isolated fungal species were Mucor spp. (n = 28, 36.84%), Rhizopus spp. (n = 22, 28.94%), and Penicillium spp. (n = 18, 23.68%). Mucor racemosus (n = 20) and Rhizopus oryzae (n = 14) were the most common species. Additionally, Aspergillus spp. (n = 3, 3.94%), Geotrichum spp. (n = 3, 3.94%), Syncephalostrum sp. (n = 1, 1.31%), and Wallemia sp. (n = 1, 1.31%) were detected. The present work demonstrated that fungi, which could be pathogens and spoilers, may be present in the ambient air of meat plants. Therefore, maintaining air hygiene in meat plants, from economic and health perspectives, is essential.