Microbiological Evaluation of Foods and Kitchen Environments in Childcare Center and Kindergarten Foodservice Operations

Abstract

Whereas the numbers of childcare centers and kindergartens are increasing rapidly, systematic management to control the food safety of foodservice operation is not yet well established. Samples from 12 centers in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province were collected to assess the microbiological quality of 32 raw materials, 24 cooked foods, 76 food-contact surfaces (knives, cutting boards, dish towels and gloves), 17 employees' hands and 12 air-borne bacteria. The microbiological analyses were performed for aerobic plate counts (APC), Enterobacteriaceae, E. coli and 7 pathogens (B. cereus, C. jejuni, C. perfringens, L. monocytogenes, Salmonella spp., S. aureus, and V. parahaemolyticus). Among raw materials, E. coli (1.39~2.08 log CFU/g) were detected in 4 out of 6 meats and 7.46 log CFU/g of APC in tofu. High enterobacteriaceae levels of 4.23, 5.14 and 4.19 log CFU/g were found in cucumber salad, steamed spinach with seasonings and steamed bean sprout with seasonings, respectively. No pathogens were found in all samples except for C. perfringens detected from raw spinach and raw lotus root. Only APC and enterobacteriaceae were found in food-contact surfaces. Two of the 23 knives and three of the 24 kitchen boards showed over 500 CFU/100 cm 2 of APC; also, APC levels (5.03 to 5.44 log CFU/g) were detected in 4 of the 12 dish towels. Only one glove showed Enterobacteriaceae (2.44 log CFU/glove) contamination. Enterobacteriaceae were found in 2 employees' hands (2.37~4.44 log CFU/hand) among the 16 employees. The contamination levels of air-borne bacteria were shown unacceptable in two (2.25 and 2.30 log CFU/petri-film/15 min) out of the 12 kitchen areas. These results suggest that the microbiological hazards in some foods and environments are not well controlled and thus a guideline should be provided to ensure the food safety in childcare center and kindergarten foodservice operations.

Microbial Examination of Nonheated Foods Served in Feeding Programs of Elementary Schools, Iksan City, Jeonbuk Province, Korea

“…For example, approximately 5.6 log CFU of aerobic mesophiles per g was isolated from salad lettuce that had not yet been washed (13). In another study (19), more than 6 log CFU of aerobic bacteria per g was detected in seasoned Chinese cabbage. Seol et al (19) monitored the microbial quality of seasoned Chinese cabbage during preparation and detected approximately 5 and 6 log CFU of aerobic mesophiles per g from samples before and after preparation, respectively.…”

“…Three or more log CFU of coliforms per g was also detected from one heated/ nonheated sample and six dessert samples. Another study (19) reported that approximately 2.6 log CFU of coliform per g was isolated from seasoned Chinese cabbage served in schools. However, we found .3 log CFU of coliforms per g from all samples of seasoned Chinese cabbage in school A.…”