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National Agricultural Library
U.S. Department of Agriculture
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  4. An Investigation of the Extent of Tonsil Tissue Present in Tongue Meat

An Investigation of the Extent of Tonsil Tissue Present in Tongue Meat

Objective

This research project aims to determine the extent of contamination of cattle tongue meat with tonsil tissue.

More information

Recent research at VLA has shown that palatine tonsilar tissue derived from cattle experimentally challenged with BSE contained low levels of infectivity in animals killed 10 months post inoculation.
<p>In the UK, under current legislation, the heads of bovines, where the palatine tonsil is located, are classified as Specified Risk Material (SRM) and destroyed. <p>However, the tongue is removed from the head and allowed to enter into the human food chain.
<p>This project will investigate the distribution of tonsil tissue in the tongue of normal bovines, i.e. an anatomical study, and determine the extent of inclusion of tonsil tissue in the tongue as removed for human consumption using different practices, i.e. a study of industry practices.
<p>Find more about this project and other FSA food safety-related projects at the <a href="http://www.food.gov.uk/science/research/&quot; target="_blank">Food Standards Agency Research webpage</a>.

Institution
Veterinary Laboratories Agency, UK
Start date
2002
End date
2003
Funding Source
Food Standards Agency
Project number
ZM0303
Categories
Bacterial Pathogens
Legislation and Regulations