Microbiological Quality and Food Safety Challenges in the Meat Industry

Background: Bacterial counts in ready-to-eat foods are a key factor in assessing the microbiological quality and safety of food. Periodic assessment of the microbiological quality of food is necessary to develop a robust database and help to ensure food safety. Methods: The bacterial contamination of a total of 336 bread samples collected from two bakeries and 10 vendors in Ojoo Area of Ibadan, Oyo-State, Nigeria (December 2014 -June 2015) was evaluated. The microbiological quality of the bread loaves was investigated using standard microbiological methods (morphological, phenotypic and molecular characterization). Results: The results showed that the number of contaminated samples among the vended bread samples was higher than the bakery bread samples and can be summarized as Bacillus megaterium (4.30%), Staphylococcus arlettae (0.005%), Staphylococcus saprophyticus (2.78%), Citrobacter freundii (2.40%), Bacillus flexus (1.64%), Bacillus species (49.59%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (4.12%), Pseudomonas fluorescens (0.92%), Pseudomonas species (0.045%), Escherichia coli (30.44%) Klebsiella sp. (0.040%) and Aeromonas hydrophila (3.72%). Conclusion: The findings demonstrate that the bread samples which become contaminated after transport and handling can be considered a potential hazard to human health in the area. More stringent adherence to food safety regulations should be encouraged and enforced by the appropriate authorities. The findings of this study may be adopted to improve the hygienic conditions of bread distribution chain in the area as well as in other regions of the World.

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Prevalence and Characterization of Extended-Spectrum β-Lactamase-Producing Antibiotic-Resistant Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae in Ready-to-Eat Street Foods

Antibiotics ◽

10.3390/antibiotics10070850 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (7) ◽

pp. 850

Author(s):

Shobha Giri ◽

Vaishnavi Kudva ◽

Kalidas Shetty ◽

Veena Shetty

Keyword(s):

Escherichia Coli ◽

Food Safety ◽

Klebsiella Pneumoniae ◽

Rural Areas ◽

Significant Risk ◽

Microbiological Quality ◽

Resistant Bacteria ◽

Antibiotic Resistant ◽

E Coli ◽

Extended Spectrum

As the global urban populations increase with rapid migration from rural areas, ready-to-eat (RTE) street foods are posing food safety challenges where street foods are prepared with less structured food safety guidelines in small and roadside outlets. The increased presence of extended-spectrum-β-lactamase (ESBL) producing bacteria in street foods is a significant risk for human health because of its epidemiological significance. Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae have become important and dangerous foodborne pathogens globally for their relevance to antibiotic resistance. The present study was undertaken to evaluate the potential burden of antibiotic-resistant E. coli and K. pneumoniae contaminating RTE street foods and to assess the microbiological quality of foods in a typical emerging and growing urban suburb of India where RTE street foods are rapidly establishing with public health implications. A total of 100 RTE food samples were collected of which, 22.88% were E. coli and 27.12% K. pneumoniae. The prevalence of ESBL-producing E. coli and K. pneumoniae was 25.42%, isolated mostly from chutneys, salads, paani puri, and chicken. Antimicrobial resistance was observed towards cefepime (72.9%), imipenem (55.9%), cefotaxime (52.5%), and meropenem (16.9%) with 86.44% of the isolates with MAR index above 0.22. Among β-lactamase encoding genes, blaTEM (40.68%) was the most prevalent followed by blaCTX (32.20%) and blaSHV (10.17%). blaNDM gene was detected in 20.34% of the isolates. This study indicated that contaminated RTE street foods present health risks to consumers and there is a high potential of transferring multi-drug-resistant bacteria from foods to humans and from person to person as pathogens or as commensal residents of the human gut leading to challenges for subsequent therapeutic treatments.

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How can packaging, source and food safety management system affect the microbiological quality of spices and dried herbs? The case of a developing country

International Journal of Food Microbiology ◽

10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2021.109295 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 109295

Author(s):

Layal Karam ◽

Talia Salloum ◽

Rima El Hage ◽

Hussein Hassan

Keyword(s):

Food Safety ◽

Developing Country ◽

Management System ◽

Safety Management ◽

Microbiological Quality ◽

Safety Management System

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Effect of NaCl Replacement by other Salts on the Quality of Bísaro Pork Sausages (PGI Chouriça de Vinhais)

Foods ◽

10.3390/foods10050961 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (5) ◽

pp. 961

Author(s):

Alfredo Teixeira ◽

Rubén Domínguez ◽

Iasmin Ferreira ◽

Etelvina Pereira ◽

Leticia Estevinho ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Chemical Composition ◽

Microbiological Quality ◽

Sodium Content ◽

Sensory Characteristics ◽

Meat Industry ◽

Important Goal ◽

Salt Consumption ◽

Oxidation Index ◽

Pork Sausages

Concerned about the trend to reduce salt consumption, the meat industry has been increasing the strategies to produce and commercialize products where the reduction or even the replacement of NaCl is an important goal. The aim of this study was to test the effect of partial NaCl replacement by KCl and Sub4Salt® on the quality of pork sausages. Three different formulations (NaCl + KCl, NaCl + Sub4Salt®, and KCl + Sub4Salt®) were considered and compared to the control (2% NaCl). Physicochemical properties, chemical composition, and microbiological and sensory characteristics were evaluated. The replacement of NaCl did not affect pH, water activity (aw) or its chemical composition after eight or 16 days ripening time, while a significant sodium reduction was achieved. The oxidation index expressed in TBARS was also not affected by the NaCl substitution and varied between 0.01 to 0.04 of malonaldehyde (MDA) per kg of sample. Similarly, the NaCl replacement did not change the microbiological quality of the sausages, and the production of healthier meat sausages had also no significant effect on their sensory characteristics. Therefore, according to the results obtained, it is viable and a good strategy for the meat industry to produce “reduced sodium content” sausages without affecting their traditional quality.

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Food Safety Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of Brazilian Food Truck Food Handlers

Nutrients ◽

10.3390/nu11081784 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (8) ◽

pp. 1784 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Lígia Isoni Auad ◽

Verônica Cortez Ginani ◽

Elke Stedefeldt ◽

Eduardo Yoshio Nakano ◽

Aline Costa Santos Nunes ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Food Safety ◽

Water Samples ◽

Microbiological Quality ◽

Food Contamination ◽

Food Handler ◽

Foodborne Diseases ◽

Food Handlers ◽

Food And Water Samples ◽

Attitudes And Practices ◽

Safety Knowledge

This study aimed to (i) compare the food safety knowledge, attitudes, and self-reported practices (KAP) and observed food safety practices of food truck (FT) food handlers, (ii) evaluate the microbiological quality of food and water samples collected from these vehicles, and (iii) establish a score classification for the KAP instrument according to the food contamination probability assessment. This study was conducted in three stages with 40 food truck food handlers conveniently sampled in the Federal District, Brazil, through structured interviews, application of an observational checklist for the assessment of handlers’ practices and the collection of food and water samples for determination of microbiological quality. FTs that are likely to exhibit food contamination and are at a high risk of foodborne diseases if at least one of the following situations occur: (1) if a food handler scores ≤6 in the knowledge section; (2) if a food handler scores ≤5 in the attitudes section; or (3) if a food handler scores ≤6 in the self-reported practices section. On the other hand, FTs in which handlers score higher than the cutoff points in all the sections are unlikely to exhibit food contamination and are at a low risk of foodborne diseases. The findings of this study are the first step to understand food handlers’ point of view and the initial diagnosis to guide educational strategies in the FT sector.

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Microbial Quality, Safety, and Pathogen Detection by Using Quantitative PCR of Raw Salad Vegetables Sold in Dhanbad City, India

Journal of Food Protection ◽

10.4315/0362-028x.jfp-16-223 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 80 (1) ◽

pp. 121-126 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

SUJEET K. MRITUNJAY ◽

VIPIN KUMAR

Keyword(s):

Food Safety ◽

Quantitative Pcr ◽

Indian Subcontinent ◽

Microbiological Quality ◽

Plate Count ◽

Salmonella Spp ◽

Total Coliforms ◽

E Coli ◽

Fresh Vegetables ◽

Salad Vegetables

ABSTRACT Consumption of ready-to-eat fresh vegetables has increased worldwide, with a consequent increase in outbreaks caused by foodborne pathogens. In the Indian subcontinent, raw fresh vegetables are usually consumed without washing or other decontamination procedures, thereby leading to new food safety threats. In this study, the microbiological quality and pathogenic profile of raw salad vegetables was evaluated through standard protocols. In total, 480 samples (60 each of eight different salad vegetables) of cucumber, tomato, carrot, coriander, cabbage, beetroot, radish, and spinach were collected from different locations in Dhanbad, a city famous for its coal fields and often called the “Coal Capital of India.” The samples were analyzed for total plate count, total coliforms, Escherichia coli, E. coli O157:H7, Listeria monocytogenes, and Salmonella spp. Incidences of pathogens were detected through quantitative PCR subsequent to isolation. Results showed that 46.7% (for total plate counts) and 30% (for total coliforms) of samples were unacceptable for consumption per the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India. Pathogenic microorganisms were detected in 3.7% of total samples. E. coli O157:H7 was detected in three samples of spinach (2) and beetroot (1); L. monocytogenes was detected in 14 samples of spinach (8), tomato (3), cucumber (2), and radish (1); and Salmonella spp. were detected in 16 samples of spinach (7), tomato (3), beetroot (2), cucumber (2), carrot (1), and radish (1). Pathogens were not detected in any of the cabbage and coriander samples.

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