EVALUATION OF MICROBIOLOGICAL AND PHYSICO-CHEMICAL QUALITY PROPERTIES OF HORSE MEAT SAUSAGE 'CHUCHUK'

The consumption of horsemeat is a traditional practice in several Asian countries, including Kyrgyzstan. This study aimed to evaluate chuchuk samples made form horse meat regarding their physicochemical and microbiological quality properties. For that purpose, 32 samples of chuchuk samples from bazars in the Chuy region of Kyrgyzstan were collected aseptically and under cold chain conditions, then subjected to microbiological and physicochemical analyses. The results of the microbiological quality assessment for horsemeat chuchuk revealed mean and maximum values expressed as log10 CFU/g. The findings for mean and maximum values were as follows: total aerobic mesophilic bacteria (7.54; 8.91), total psychrophilic microorganisms (7.34; 8.97), enterobacter (2.46; 7.76), coliform (1.96; 7.84), E. coli (0.31; 4.55), Enterococcus (4.94; 6.67), S. aureus (5.89; 7.73), Pseudomonas spp. (1.22; 6.64), Clostridium spp. (0.12; 2.70), lactic acid bacteria (7.58; 9.02), and yeast/mold (6.17; 8.67). Also, mean values for physico-chemical parameters are as follows: pH (6.32), dry matter (33.04), ash (2.37), protein (19.78), fat (31.82), water activity (aw) (0.96). Results indicated increased levels of TAM, pathogens, and indicator microbes. This highlights the potential health risks associated with non-standardized and primitive production conditions and the lack of compliance with hygiene standards throughout the production and storage of chuchuk in the surveyed units. Likewise, standardized production methods and basic hygiene measures are essential to ensure that chuchuk are safe to eat and regulatory authorities need to be consistent in carrying out hygiene inspections and in enforcing dissuasive measures against non-compliant establishments. In addition, the implementation of Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) can constitute useful tools in covering the food chain from production to consumption, in line with the concept of 'food safety from farm to fork'.