Microbiological contamination of surfaces in fish industry

Abstract

Three hundred and forty (340) samples of surfaces from equipment (skinning machines), utensils (polyethylene cutting boards, polypropylene cases, baskets, and trays, plastic material used to cover the trays, packaging tanks, knives, and stainless steel sorting and packaging tables), and gloves used by handlers in fish industries, collected with swabs in August 2010 and August 2011, were evaluated. In each period, five different collections were made on different days in both the early morning and early afternoon. Counts of aerobic mesophiles and total coliforms were performed and the presence of thermotolerant coliforms was investigated. All samples collected in the afternoon shift, in either collection periods, showed significantly higher contamination by aerobic mesophiles compared to the morning shift (p<0.05). 50.0 and 81.8% of the equipment and utensils analyzed in the first and second collection, respectively, were within the recommendations by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) regardless of the work shift. The gloves in the first collection period had aerobic mesophile count above 4 log UFC/glove in 76.7% of the samples and in only 21.7% in the second collection. Although surface contamination decreased, corrective measures still must be enforced and the employees must be oriented regarding the importance of hygienization.

Reduction of Bacteria in Relation to Feeding Regimes When Treating Aquaculture Waste in Fly Larvae Composting

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Safety Protocols in the Food Industry and Emerging Concerns

“…For this reason, a basic but reliable guideline about the main features of food-contact materials may be defined on these bases. Because of the necessity for cleaning and sanitising each food-contact surface for food processing application, it may be inferred (Chisti 1999;Singh 2011) that:…”

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Microbial Dynamics During Industrial Rearing And Processing Of Insects

“…In addition, as this waste stream decomposes rapidly, its microbial communities multiply during decomposition, thus posing a risk of disease transmission, as these residues may contain pathogens (Ghaly et al, 2010;Sousa et al, 2014).…”