Aims: The objective of this study was to investigate on microbial related food safety issues and microorganisms associated with the production of Sri Lankan traditional seafood Jaadi. Place and Duration of Study: Food Technology Section, Industrial Technology Institute, Colombo, Sri Lanka, between December 2013 to April 2016. Methodology: Seven Jaadi processing centers along the Southern and Western coastal belt of Sri Lanka were evaluated for its compliance to food safety, in terms of environment, processing techniques, hygiene and sanitation, physiochemical and microbiological quality of the final product.  Samples drawn from all sites were analyzed for its water activity, salt content, pH and microbiological quality.  Microorganisms associated with Jaadi production were isolated in selective media, followed by phenotypical, biochemical and molecular biological characterization. Results: The pH, water activity and salt content of Jaadi samples ranged between 3.60-5.85, 0.73-0.82 and 24.82-40.47%, respectively. Thirteen bacterial strains and one fungal strain detected were strains found to be responsible for human pathogenesis and food spoilage. These include,  Bacillus cereus strain I (MN726935.1), Bacillus cereus strain II (MN901259.1), Bacillus haikouensis strain I (MN901262.1), Bacillus haikouensis strain II (MN726976.1), Bacillus licheniformis (MN726987.1), Acinetobacter baumannii (MN901499.1), Bacillus pumilus strain I (MN901264.1), Bacillus pumilus  strain II (MN901263.1), Bacillus paralicheniformis (MN901167.1), Bacillus thuringiensis strain I (MN901165.1), Bacillus thuringiensis strain II (MN901257.1), Bacillus cereus (MN901161.1), Staphylococcus saprophyticus (MN901156.1) and Trichoderma longibrachiatum (MN907169.1).  Presence of such organisms clearly proclaims the poor hygienic practices and risks related to food safety in this traditional processing technology. Conclusion: Jaadi processing facilities of Southern and Western coastal belt of Sri Lanka needs scientific and technical knowledge to upgrade their processing in order to assure food safety and product quality.

King coconut water (KCW) is a sweet relish product that is more prone to rapid quality deterioration, and several safety concerns are emerging due to its inappropriate thermal processing. Therefore, the objective of this study was to identify the potential spoilage/pathogenic microorganisms associated with the processing of KCW, with the assessment of possible physicochemical changes as providing preliminary information required for the thermal process validation of bottled KCW. Samples (n = 6, 150 ml/sample) were collected from three different KCW processing facilities at five critical processing steps P 1 − P 5 . A facility survey, physicochemical analyses, and microbial enumeration and isolation, along with their molecular identifications, were conducted. It was found that all tested physicochemical properties were significantly changed p < 0.05 among sampling points at each processing facility. The colour of thermally processed KCW samples has significantly changed p < 0.05 compared to the fresh KCW, which causes a distinct effect on the appealing quality of the final product. A pattern of initial lower counts with gradually increased microbial counts at intermediate processing steps (1.0 × 103–5.3 × 106 CFU/ml) and significantly lowered p < 0.05 counts after thermal treatment was observed. Among the bacterial and fungal isolates identified, several potential pathogenic bacterial species, such as Pantoea dispersa, Bacillus siamensis, Pseudomonas stutzeri, and Acinetobacter lactucae; a few thermal resistant yeasts, Pichia kudriavzevii, Debaryomyces nepalensis, and Candida carpophila; and moulds, Penicillium citrinum, Microdochium fisheri, and Trichosporon asahii, have survived in the thermally processed KCW. Based on the results of the study, it is suggested that the thermal process validation of KCW should be targeted according to the revealed knowledge on the identified hazardous microorganisms, while adhering to Good Manufacturing and Hygienic Practices with minimized handling time to avoid rapid quality deterioration.