ISO 18743 is an international standard on microbiology of foodchain that discusses the detection of Trichinella larvae in meat by artificial digestion method to ensure that meat is safe for consumption.
ISO 18743 specifies a method of detection of Trichinella spp. muscle stage larvae in the meat of individual animal carcasses intended for human consumption. ISO 18743 is applicable to the examination of meat from domestic and sylvatic animal species, which can be infected by nematodes of the genus Trichinella.
The method described in ISO 18743 is intended to be used in conjunction with the guidelines in the OIE Manual of Diagnostic Tests and Vaccines and by the International Commission on Trichinellosis (ICT) for Trichinella testing and the inspection of carcasses intended for human consumption unless it has been demonstrated by other means that the animal was not at risk for exposure to Trichinella.
The artificial digestion/magnetic stirrer method is the standard method because it has proven to give the most reliable results in validation studies.
Note1: Provided equivalence with the method described within ISO 18743 can be documented, alternative methods can be used for analysis.
Note2: The method specified under ISO 18743 does not allow the identification of the species or genotype of detected parasites; species or genotype identification can be carried out by molecular methods.
ISO 18743 on the detection of Trichinella larvae in meat is useful for:
Trichinella spp. are the causative agents of human trichinellosis, a disease that is a public health hazard and, as a result, also represents an economic problem in porcine animal production. Due to the zoonotic importance of this infection in many countries, the main efforts have focused on the control and/or eradication of Trichinella from domestic pigs, the most important source of human infection worldwide.
ISO 18743 provides you guidance with blending/grinding of the muscle sample, preparation of the digest fluid, digestion of the chopped meat, verification of findings, reagents, apparatus, sampling, labelling, and transport, sample preparation, procedure and much more.
The methods and procedures provided by ISO 18743 assist in detecting trichinella larvae in meat, improving the quality of meat and ensuring reduction in the health issues.
With obedience and compliance to ISO 18743, you can enhance the efficacy of the meat and manufacture a standardized high-quality product.
EN ISO 18743:2015
ISO 18743:2015