Comparison of destructively and rinsing gained samples to determine TVC of pig carcasses by bioluminescence

A rinsing-technique with a spraying gun in combination with the ATP-bioluminescence for determining the microbial load was investigated. In each case 3.8-cm² pig-rind was rinsed with buffered peptone water using a modified sprinkle-bottle. The sample-suspensions were gathered in a one-way syringe and sent through a filter cascade consisting of a coarse filter in order to remove bigger particles and a sensitive filter to attach the micro-organisms as well as somatic cells. This procedure was followed by an extraction of the ATP from the sensitive filter with CellSolver FBC-solution. The destructively gained samples were determined on their TVC by the conventional method. Results of the carcass-surface spray test combined with bioluminescence compared to the conventional destructive method followed by plate-count showed a correlation r=0.93 with a detection limit down to 10⁴ cfu/cm².