Listeria monocytogenes in two different poultry facilities: Manual and automatic evisceration

Abstract

Listeriosis is a serious foodborne disease caused by Listeria monocytogenes, a pathogen often found in food processing plants. Poultry meat and its derivatives may harbor L. monocytogenes even if good manufacturing practices are implanted in abattoirs. Little information exists in Brazil on the frequency of L. monocytogenes contamination, even though the country is considered the top poultry meat exporter in the world. This study attempted to compare 2 exporters poultry facilities following same the standards but differing only in manual (plant M) or automatic (plant A) evisceration. Eight hundred fifty-one samples from food, food contact and non-food contact surfaces, water, and workers' hands were collected from cage to finished products over a 1-yr period. In plant A, 20.1% of the samples were positive for L. monocytogenes, whereas in plant M, 16.4% was found. The greatest incidence of contamination with the pathogen in plant A was found in non-food contact surfaces (27.3%), while in plant M, it was found in products (19.4%). The most prevalent serovars were 1/2a or 3a (plant M) and 4b, 4d, or 4e (plant A). Despite having proper hygiene and good manufacturing practices, controlling the entry and persistence of L. monocytogenes in processing facilities remains a formidable task.

On the implementation of good manufacturing practices in a small processing unity of mozzarella cheese in Brazil

“…Broken tiles and lack of grout may serve as site for the attachment of foodborne pathogens since they may difficult washing and sanitizing procedures. Therefore, this condition may be adequate for the establishment of foodborne pathogens in the environment of cheese processing, which may lead to persistence of microorganisms and contamination of foods produced (Chiarini, Tyler, Farber, Pagotto, & Destro, 2009;Dass, Abu-Ghannam, Antony-Babu, & Cummins, 2010;Jensen et al, 2008;Oliver, Jayarao, & Almeida, 2005). This is of particular concern since cheeses have been constantly associated with foodborne diseases caused by Listeria monocytogenes (Callon, Picque, Corrieu, & Montel, 2011;Jakobsen, Heggebø, Sunde, & Skjervheim, 2011;Schvartzman et al, 2011), a pathogen that is well-known for its ability to persist in the environment of processing and to survive and/or grow in cheeses (Blatter, Giezendanner, Stephan, & Zweifel, 2010;Carpentier & Cerf, 2011;Ortiz et al, 2010).…”

A concurrent diagnosis of microbiological food safety output and food safety management system performance: Cases from meat processing industries

“…Also Listeria monocytogenes has been widely found in the processing environment of poultry processing and on raw carcasses (e.g. Lawrence & Gilmour, 1995;Chemaly, Toquin, Le Notre, & Fravalo, 2008;Chiarini, Tyler, Farber, Pagotto, & Destro, 2009;Sampers et al, 2010). Moreover, equipment and food contact surfaces like chopping boards and conveyor belts have been indicated as potential sources of Listeria monocytogenes in poultry processing (e.g.…”

Total and Thermo-Tolerant Coliforms<i>,</i><i> </i><i>Salmonella</i><i> </i><i>spp.,</i><i> </i><i>Escherichia</i><i> </i><i>coli,</i><i> </i><i>Pseudomonas</i><i> </i><i>spp</i><i> </i>and <i>Listeria</i><i> </i><i>monocytogenes</i><i> </i>in Broilers Chicken Meat Processing Chain in Southern

“…monocytogenes is a pathogenic bacterium largely disseminated in the environment and has been isolated in soil, water, sewage, vegetables, silages, healthy human and animal feces [20]. Other authors have also detected L. monocytogenes in broiler carcasses during the meat processing stages [21,22,23].…”

“…Chiarini et al [22] isolated L. monocytogenes in 20% of sampling sites in an abattoir with automatic evisceration in the southeastern region of Brazil, and in 6.4% of sampling sites in an abattoir with mechanical evisceration. In Spain, López et al [6] detected a 31% occurrence of L. monocytogenes in chicken carcasses during the processing stages.…”