DIN 10161:2016-12

Microorganisms can influence meat products both positively and negatively. The former, technologically desirable, include starter cultures, which are required for the production of raw sausage and cured meats. The spoilage organisms cause the microbial spoilage of a food product; enzyme-active microorganisms belong to this group. The microorganisms of the second group can be distinguished between pathogenic and non-pathogenic. With the present method, the number of vegetative aerobic microorganisms can be determined in meat and meat products by means of the drop plating method. This thus provides an overview of the microbial load of the food. The standard serves both food quality assurance and consumer health protection. The committee responsible for this standard is NA 057-01-06 AA "Mikrobiologie der Lebensmittelkette" ("Microbiology of the food chain") at DIN.