Bacteriological Survey of the Blue Crab Industry

Abstract

During sanitation inspections of 46 crabmeat processing plants on the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts, 487 samples of whole crabs immediately after cooking, cooked crabs after cooling, backed or washed (or both) crab bodies and whole crab claws, as well as 1,506 retail units of finished product were collected and analyzed bacteriologically. The 1,506 retail units (1-lb [373.24-g ] cans) included 518 cans of regular (special) meat, 487 cans of claw meat, and 501 cans of lump meat. Statistical analyses showed that crabmeat from plants in Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas had higher counts in 19 of 24 cases for the four bacteriological indices than crabmeat from plants located along the Atlantic Coast and the Gulf Coast of Florida. Aerobic plate counts of retail units collected from a previous day's production were significantly higher than those collected on the day of inspection. Regular crabmeat had consistently higher aerobic plate counts than claw or lump meat. When the product was handled expeditiously under good sanitary conditions, the bacteriological results were significantly better than the results from plants operating under poor sanitary conditions. Crabmeat produced in plants operating under good sanitary conditions had the following bacteriological content: (i) coliform organisms average most-probable-number values (geometric) of less than 20 per g; (ii) no Escherichia coli; (iii) coagulase-958

Development of Pasteurization Process for Rock Crab Meat (Cancer Irroratus)

“…Wentz et al (1984) showed that the bacteria of most importance in post-processed blue crab meat were Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. This was in agreement with an observation reported by Phillips and Peeler (1972). Recently, Betts (1992) indicated that the decimal reduction times for E. coli and S. aureus in beef were, respectively, 0.47 min at 62.8C and 1.36 min at 62C.…”

Minced Meat Crabcake from Blue Crab Processing Byproducts—Development and Sensory Evaluation

“…1, 2, 4, and 5), microbial populations of the composite by-product over 4 days refrigerated storage ranged from lo5 to 10'. Surveys have shown that 90-93% of the processing plants operating under good sanitary conditions produced crab meat with mesophilic counts of less than 105/g (Phillips and Peeler, 1972;Wentz et al, 1985). The in-plant cooking process, i.e., 121°C for lo-23 min, was sufficient to reduce microbial numbers to relatively low levels.…”

EFFECT OF PROCESSING VARIABLES ON MICROBIAL QUALITY AND SHELF‐LIFE OF BLUE CRAB (CALLINECTES SAPIDUS) MEAT

“…Crabmeat is a highly perishable product and its microbial quality is further jeopardized by intensive handling such as backing, picking, and packing operations after cooking (Wentz et al 1985;Ward et al 1983). Handling causes severe post-cook contamination and shortens the shelf-life of the product (Slocum 1955;Phillips and Peeler 1972). Wentz et al (1985) found that the geometric mean aerobic plate count at 35C increased from 1,200 CFU/g (Colony Forming Units) before picking to 20,000 CFU/g in the finished product (body meat).…”