Comparative microbiological evaluation between fresh and frozen bovine liver

The Consumption of fresh and frozen bovine liver is common in Egypt. Therefore, the purpose of the current study was to evaluate the hygienic indices of fresh compared to frozen bovine liver obtained from various supermarkets in Menofia governorate, Egypt. The aerobic plate count (APC), coliform count, Escherichia coli (E. coli), Staphylococcus aureus (Staph. aureus), and mold and yeast counts were evaluated in both fresh and frozen bovine liver. Our results indicated that APC, coliform count, and E. coli counts were significantly lower P ≤ 0.05 in frozen liver samples than in fresh liver samples. However, fresh liver samples were significantly lower P ≤ 0.05 than frozen liver samples in Staph. aureus count. Compared to the Egyptian Standard of chilled meat and frozen liver, all fresh liver samples exceeded acceptable APC and coliform count of 6 log10 CFU/g and 2 log10 CFU/g, respectively. However, not all frozen livers exceeded the maximum acceptable limits of APC (5 log10 CFU/g) but surpassed the coliform count. These findings indicated that fresh liver and, to a lesser extent, frozen liver were produced, shipped, and handled in an unhygienic manner and that best practices and legal requirements were not followed.