Key indicators of beef safety and quality as important aspects of conservation

Meat cattle breeding should develop in Ukraine as a priority and independent industry to meet beef needs. The meat industry has enormous potential and, as the most promising and attractive, will take a dominant place in the structure of the domestic food industry in the coming years. Beef is one of the most essential elements of the human diet. It contains complete proteins and animal fats, biologically active substances, mineral elements, and vitamins. The most important feature of food products is their quality and safety indicators, that is, the absence of substances harmful to the consumer's health and pathogens of infectious and invasive diseases. In this regard, veterinary and sanitary expertise and product safety control are of particular importance, as they are necessary to ensure the health of the population of Ukraine. Improving the quality of meat and meat products is a primary task in modern conditions. The implementation of this task depends not only on agricultural but also on processing enterprises. The article presents materials on the study of critical indicators of the safety and quality of beef. The study was carried out as part of the research work of the Department of Normal and Pathological Morphology, hygiene, and Expertise: “Monitoring the content of toxic substances in drinking water, feed and their impact on the body of cattle and the quality and safety of products”, state registration number – 0120U101318. The material for the research was the slaughter products of domestic animals, such as cattle, which were supplied to enterprises in the city of Zhytomyr. Pre-slaughter inspection and veterinary-sanitary examination of carcasses and their slaughter products of cattle was carried out following the “Rules of pre-slaughter veterinary examination of animals and veterinary-sanitary examination of meat and meat products”. The study aims to determine the safety and quality indicators of beef obtained in the conditions of meat processing enterprises of the Zhytomyr region. To achieve this goal, a comprehensive survey of beef safety and quality indicators was conducted. As a result of the tests, it was established that the pH level of the meat was 5.7–6.1. Carrying out the reaction with a 5 % solution of CuSO4 in the broth showed that the broth was transparent. A positive response to peroxidase was also detected. The safety parameters corresponded to regulatory documents. Careful control of the safety and quality of beef at every stage of production, starting from the rearing of animals and up to the sale of the product, guarantees a high degree of consumer protection.