■Press: How safe are commercially available sausage products?
Meat products such as sausages have become one of the foods that are often prepared in the refrigerators of many consumers due to their convenience. In the midst of a busy job, a simple bowl of noodles with root sausages or bacon can easily solve a meal.
However, do you need to worry about the safety of meat products like sausages while enjoying it?
In July 2021, Consumer Reports collated the quality sampling of sausage meat products published by the national and provincial market supervision and administration bureaus (including the former Food and Drug Administration) from June 2016 to June 2021.
The sampling results show that the regulatory authorities found that there were 136 batches of unqualified sausage meat products in the sampling inspection, and the unqualified indicators involved 11 colonies, pigments, chloramphenicol, preservatives, nitrites, coliforms, etc., of which the total number of colonies exceeded the standard by more than 50%, and the total number of colonies exceeded the standard by 1500 times.
In terms of brands, Shuanghui, Yurun, Jingzhuangyuan, Macau Doulao and other well-known brands are on the list, of which Shuanghui and Yurun have more unqualified times, with 7 and 4 batches respectively.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="14" > shuanghui and Yurun have more "black" lists</h1>
The sampling results show that the number of unqualified "Shuanghui" sausage meat products produced by many subsidiaries of Shuanghui Group is the largest, reaching 7 batches.
These unqualified products include garlic sausages produced by Henan Shuanghui Investment and Development Co., Ltd. (420g, 2018/6/16), Shuanghui large sausages (spicy flavor) (180g/bag, 2019/6/9) produced by Yichang Shuanghui Food Co., Ltd., beer partner sausages produced by Hubei Wuhan Shuanghui Food Co., Ltd. (280g/bag, 2020/6/4), Shuanghui old flavored grilled sausages produced by Nanchang Shuanghui Food Co., Ltd. (300g/bag, 2019/5/23) and garlic sausage (450g/pack, 2019/6/13), Shuanghui selected bacon produced by Shanghai Shuanghui Dachang Co., Ltd. Shanghai Branch (180g/bag, 2017/7/20, 2017/7/23). The main reasons for the failure of the above 7 batches of products are that the total number of colonies exceeds the standard and the detection of banned antibiotics (chloramphenicol).
According to public information, Shuanghui Group is the largest meat processing base in China, with 30 modern meat processing bases and supporting industries in 17 provinces (cities) across the country. However, the group's subsidiaries have been issued "fines" by the regulatory authorities many times.
According to the information of Tianyancha, on October 8, 2019, Hubei Wuhan Shuanghui Food Co., Ltd. was warned by the Wuhan Municipal Bureau of Statistics and fined an administrative penalty of 50,000 yuan for an error in the reporting of industrial output value data. In 2017, Zhejiang Jinhua Shuanghui Food Co., Ltd. was also fined 10,000 yuan for violating food safety management regulations. In addition, Jiyuan Shuanghui Development Food Co., Ltd. and Yexian Shuanghui Animal Husbandry Co., Ltd., which are invested by Shuanghui Development, have also been subject to environmental penalties on many occasions.
Another meat "giant", Yurun Group, has occupied the first place in market share many times in the past 20 years. However, 4 batches of unqualified products were also found in the sampling inspection.
They are garlic sausage (smoked sausage) (420g/bag, 2017/8/24) produced by Gansu Yurun Meat Processing Co., Ltd., garlic sausage (spicy taste) (420g/bag, 2017/9/3, 2020/5/1), Yurun meat paste (400g/block, 2018/4/24) produced by Guangzhou Yurun Meat Food Co., Ltd., and the unqualified indicators are the total number of colonies and coliform bacteria.
A batch of "Macau Doulao" original sausage (Taiwanese flavor) (110g/bag, 2017/10/5) produced by Hangzhou Macau Doulao Food Co., Ltd. was judged to be unqualified due to excessive peroxide value.
In addition, some imported sausages have been detected as unqualified. The Italian salami fermented sausage (100g/bag, 2017/8/23) and the filino-flavored salami (100g/bag, 2017/8/28) represented by Shanghai Yihua Food Co., Ltd. were both detected pathogenic bacteria (Listeria monocytogenes).
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="92" > the total number of colonies exceeded the standard by a maximum of 1500 times</h1>
Sampling data show that among the 136 batches of unqualified products, the unqualified indicators involved 11, namely the total number of colonies, pigment, chloramphenicol, preservatives, nitrites, coliform bacteria, labels, heavy metals, listeria monocytogenes, salbutamol, and peroxide values.
Among them, the total number of colonies exceeding the standard is the most prominent problem in unqualified products, and a total of 78 times have been found, accounting for more than 50% of the unqualified products, reaching 57.3%.
Sausage meat products are foods rich in starch, protein and oil, which are very suitable for the growth of microorganisms, so the bacteria in them may multiply faster, reducing the safety of food.
The total number of colonies is indicative of microorganisms, not pathogenic bacteria. It is mainly used to evaluate the cleanliness of food and reflect whether the food meets the hygiene requirements in the production process.
The National Standard for Food Safety of Cooked Meat Products (GB 2726-2016) stipulates that the total number of colonies in a sample of cooked meat products (except fermented meat products) shall not exceed 100,000 CFU/g, and at least 3 test results shall not exceed 10,000 CFU/g.
The total number of colonies in Shuanghui Select bacon (180g/bag, 2017/7/20) produced by Shanghai Shuanghui Dachang Co., Ltd. Shanghai Branch was 880000000, 140000000, 11000000, 150000000, 3400000 CFU/g, all exceeding the standard maximum limit (100,000 CFU/g), exceeding the maximum standard by 1500 times.
Another batch of Shuanghui selected bacon (180g/bag, 2017/7/23) produced by the company had a total of 5 colony test results of 730000000, 29000000, 48000000, 67000000, 3000000 CFU/g, respectively, all of which also exceeded the standard maximum limit. They are all products with a high degree of exceedance.
If the total number of colonies exceeds the standard, there is a greater hidden danger to its safety. Exceeding the total number of colonies will accelerate the spoilage of meat products, destroy nutrients, make them lose their edible value, and even cause vomiting, diarrhea and other hazards.
In general, the reason why the total number of colonies exceeds the standard may be the high initial number of colonies of raw materials, or the sanitary conditions of the production and processing process may not be strictly controlled by individual enterprises as required.
In addition, there are 4 batches of sausage meat products that may be contaminated with "feces" because they all detect coliform bacteria.
Coliform bacteria are one of the indicator bacteria of fecal contaminated food, because the coliform bacteria are commonly present in the intestine, if the coliform bacteria can be detected in food, it indicates that the food has been directly or indirectly contaminated by human and warm-blooded animal feces.
Jiangmen Anbao Food Co., Ltd. produced rich fresh meat sausage (250g/bag, 2016/10/22) coliform microflora test result of 24000MPN/100g (standard 230MPN/100g), reaching more than 100 times the standard.
Coliform excess may be caused by contamination of the processing raw materials and packaging materials of the product, or the pollution of the product by personnel, tools and other production equipment, the environment during the production process, and the incomplete sterilization of the product with sterilization process.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="93" > 16 batches of banned antibiotics were detected</h1>
While eating meat in large gulps, you also have to worry about whether the meat contains antibiotics.
Because antibiotics can both prevent disease and help many livestock and poultry gain weight, there are cases of excessive or illegal use of antibiotics in agricultural livestock and poultry breeding.
Chloramphenicol is a highly effective broad-spectrum antibiotic that has a good inhibitory effect on both gram-positive bacteria and gram-negative bacteria. In 1949, chloramphenicol came to market, and it was also the first antibiotic to be mass-produced by synthetic methods.
However, excessive intake of chloramphenicol in the human body may cause damage to the hematopoietic function of the human liver and bone marrow, resulting in aplastic anemia and health hazards such as thrombocytopenia and liver damage.
At present, chloramphenicol has been banned from the breeding of food animals. The List of Non-edible Substances and Food Additive Varieties That May Be Illegally Added to Food (Fifth Batch) (Rectification Office Letter [2011] No. 1) stipulates that chloramphenicol shall not be detected in meat products.
Image source: Figureworm Creative
The sampling results showed that 16 batches of 136 batches of unqualified sausage meat products were detected with banned chloramphenicol, accounting for 11.7%.
The test results of chloramphenicol for fresh meat sausage (Chinese sausage) (250g/bag 2017/6/21) and granular sausage (Chinese sausage) (200g/bag, 2017/7/1) produced by Guangming Processing Factory of Shenzhen Mileage Food Co., Ltd. were 16.4 μg/kg and 2.64 μg/kg, respectively.
The test result of chloramphenicol (200g/bag, 2018/6/20) produced by Xinxinglong Food Factory in Dongguan City was 7.23μg/kg.
Shuanghui large sausage (spicy flavor) (180g/bag, 2019/6/9) produced by Yichang Shuanghui Food Co., Ltd. had a detection result of 0.77 ug/kg.
It is worth noting that the problem of clenbuterol that consumers are more concerned about is not serious in sausage sampling. Of the 136 batches, only 1 was detected with Clenbuterol.
Harbin Far East Meat Food Co., Ltd. produced Harbin white sausage (smoked sausage) (270g/bag, 2016/9/18) salbutamol (clenbuterol) test result 1.33 μg/kg, the standard is not detectable.
【Special Statement】:The original data used in this article are from the authoritative official website, and the data is objective and true. If the relevant sampling result data is verified and confirmed by the relevant government departments and the facts of the change, please contact this journal in time.