EFFECTS OF ECHINOCOCCOSIS ON ANIMAL MEAT

Abstract

Assortment of finished products of meat is quite large in the food market of
Uzbekistan, but these products quality are varying. Today quality control of meat and
meat products is very important in slaughterhouses in terms of safety. The conducted
studies of the meat of healthy and echinococcosis animals allow us to conclude that
this disease has some influence on some parameters that determine the quality of meat.
According to a study of 1,678 cattle slaughtered in slaughterhouses in the Samarkand
region of Uzbekistan, the average incidence of echinococcosis was 8.6%. In terms of
organoleptic parameters, the meat of healthy animals does not differ from the meat of
animals suffering from echinococcosis. Echinococcosis leads to a decrease in the
nutritional value of meat, which is expressed by low levels of protein and fat. This
indicates that during invasion by echinococcosis in the studied tissues and organs, the
pH indicator shifts towards an alkaline reaction due to the primary decay of the protein.
The high moisture content in the meat of animals with echinococcosis is an unfavorable
factor affecting the resistance of meat to long-term storage.