Distribution of Coliphages in Various Foods

Abstract

The distribution of coliphages in various foods and the relationship between the incidences of coliphages and bacterial indicators were investigated. A total of 120 food samples comprising twelve products and including fresh meats, shellfish, vegetables and processed meats, were analyzed for indigenous coliphages using Escherichia coli hosts C, C-3000 and B. Bacterial analyses included enumeration of E. coli, fecal coliforms and coliforms, as well as aerobic plate counts and Salmonella analyses. Coliphages were detected (≥10 PFU/100 g) in 56% of samples and eleven of twelve products. Coliphages, E. coli, fecal coliforms and coliforms were recovered at a level of at least 30 organisms per 100 g in 43, 43, 68 and 81% of samples, with overall mean recoveries of 13, 19, 93 and 4300 organisms/100 g, respectively. Highest and lowest recoveries of coliphages and E. coli were from fresh meats and vacuum-packaged processed meats, respectively. Significant nonparametric correlations between coliphages, E. coli, fecal coliforms and coliforms were found among all food samples.

Bacteriophages and Their Role in Food Safety

“…Phages are readily abundant in foods and have been isolated from a wide variety of raw products (e.g., beef, chicken) [6, 7], processed food (e.g., pies, biscuit dough, and roast turkey) [8], fermented products (e.g., cheese, yoghurt) [9], and seafood (e.g., mussels and oysters) [8, 10]. This suggests that phages can be found in the same environments where their bacterial host(s) inhabit, or once were present and that phages are daily consumed by humans.…”

Bacteriophages: Practical Applications for Nature's Biocontrol

“…pies, biscuit dough, cheese, yoghurt, mussels and oysters) (Kennedy et al 1986;Croci et al 2000;Hsu et al 2002;Suárez et al 2002;Atterbury et al 2003a). Therefore, they are consumed daily by humans .…”

Biopreservative methods to control the growth of foodborne pathogens on fresh-cut lettuce

“…Phages are bacterial viruses that invade specific bacterial cells, disrupt bacterial metabolism, and cause the bacterium to lyse without compromising the viability of other flora in the habitat. They are the most abundant microorganisms in our environment (Brussow and Hendrix, 2002) and are present in high numbers in water and foods (Hsu et al, 2002;Kennedy et al, 1986). Promising results using phage biocontrol have been reported for several pathogens, including Salmonella spp.…”