Quality of fresh camel meat (Camelus dromedarius) sold at retail houses in Bechar city (Southwest of Algeria): Physicochemical and hygienic approaches

Meat is the first source of animal protein, its richness in essential amino acids classifies it among the noble proteins. However, due to its nutritional qualities, meat constitutes a favorable ground for microbial development and can serve as a source of foodborne pathogens for consumers. Hence this study aimed to evaluate the hygienic quality of fresh camel meat marketed in Bechar city (Southwest of Algeria).

At the butcher's shops in the Bechar El Djadid's market, the taken samples underwent analyzes of a few physicochemical and microbiological parameters. The suspected pathogenic isolates were confirmed using biochemical tests.

The physicochemical parameters results showed that the samples had slightly acidic pH values ranging from 5.25 to 5.86, the temperature from 6 to 7.5°C and the total solid content (TSC) ranging from 21 to 36.6% with a moisture rate ranging from 63.4 to 75.6. However, the obtained microbiological results showed a load of Escherichia coli of 3.3 and 4.83 Log₁₀ CFU/g for the samples S1 and S2, respectively, exceeding the threshold set by national standards. The analyzed samples had a load of S. aureus (CoPS) ranging from 3.78 to 5 Log₁₀ CFU/g, with the presence of Salmonella choleraesuis ssp arizonae for the sample (S1), while both Listeria monocytogenes and Pseudomonas spp species were absent in all the analyzed samples. The lactic acid bacteria (LAB) load ranged from 2.36 to 2.74 Log₁₀ CFU/g. In conclusion, four out of five analyzed samples had an unsatisfactory quality. This is the result of a lack of hygiene in one of the links in the raw material supply chain, from the slaughterhouse to the retailer, whose stakeholders must ensure cleanliness and compliance with good hygiene practices (GHP) to protect consumers against microbial risks.