Indole and skatole in fresh pork as possible markers of fecal contamination

Abstract

Zero-tolerance levels for fecal contamination on beef, pork, and poultry have been proposed because of outbreaks of foodborne illnesses associated with pathogenic microorganisms from this source. As a result, changes in the current meat inspection system will have to include means other than visual inspection of the carcass to ensure the absence of contamination. While the principal need is for rapid, in-plant microbial testing methods, there is also a need for chemical-instrumental methods. A rapid solid-phase extraction method was developed to measure indole and skatole in porcine meat using a gas chromatograph interfaced with a chemiluminescence detector. The minimum detectable level for both compounds was 10 ppb. Results from the analysis of contaminated pork showed that this approach may have limited value in the assessment of fecal contamination in pork samples, since not all of the samples had detectable levels of either indole or skatole.