Criteria for condemnation and liberation of organs submitted to the official meat inspection services have been controversial, it is argued that organs witch do not present gross lesions may still have certain degree of pathological changes under microscopic scrutiny; conversely, organs rejected on microscopic exam may reveal normalcy under histological evaluation. A gross and histological morphologic study was conducted in bovine livers during meat inspection in commercial slaughter; bovine livers were allotted in two groups: condemned and non-condemned, according to the Animal Standard Meat Inspection (SIS) of the State of Santa Catarina, Brazil. Liver fragments were fixed in 10% neutral formalin and processed for routine histopathological examination. The objectives were: to establish the main reasons for condemnation of bovine livers in the meat inspection routine of SIS, to evaluate livers from both groups by histological examination and to identify the possible etiologies responsible for condemnation. According to the SIS, the reasons for condemnation were: telangiectasis (32.2%), fasciolosis (18.5%), abscesses (18.0%), irregular and bright spots (12.6%), adherence between liver and diaphragm (6.0%), yellow and friable liver (4.2%), dark or pale spots (3.6%), nodules (1.8%) and other causes (3.0%). Under microscopic study livers from condemned group showed telangiectasis (25.7%), abscesses (18.0%), fasciolosis (16.1%), capsular fibrosis (13.2%), random necrosis (8.4%), degeneration (3.6%), inflammatory infiltrate (2.4%), neoplasia (1.8%), no changes (7.2%) and miscellaneous changes (3.6%). Among livers from the non condemned group, 73% did not have microscopic changes; however, inflammatory infiltration (12.6%), necrosis (7.8%), telangiectasis (4.8%), fasciolosis (0.6%) and miscellaneous lesions (1.2%) were detected in the remaining 27%. In conclusion, inaccuracy was detected in the meat inspection routine of SIS since the microscopic changes observed in 27% of the non-condemned livers were not detected on gross examination and so affected organs were liberated for human consumption. Conversely several livers among the condemned groups were unnecessarily rejected, consequently causing importantly economic losses.
liver; histopathology; meat inspection; cattle
