Insights into the Microbiological Safety of Wooden Cutting Boards Used for Meat Processing in Hong Kong’s Wet Markets: A Focus on Food-Contact Surfaces, Cross-Contamination and the Efficacy of Traditional Hygiene Practices

Abstract

Hong Kong's wet markets play a crucial role in the country's supply of safe, fresh meat to satisfy the dietary needs of its population. Whilst food safety regulations have been introduced over the past few years to maintain the microbial safety of foods sold from these wet markets, it remains unclear whether the hygiene maintenance that is performed on the wooden cutting boards used for meat-processing is effective. In fact, hygiene maintenance may often be overlooked, and hygiene standards may be insufficient. If so, this may lead to the spread of harmful pathogens through cross-contamination, thereby causing severe risks to public health. The aim of this study was to determine the level of microbial transfer between wooden cutting boards and swine meat of various qualities, using 16S metagenomic sequencing, strain identification and biofilm screening of isolated strains. The results established that: (a) the traditional hygiene practices used for cleaning wooden cutting boards in Hong Kong's wet markets expose the surfaces to potentially harmful microorganisms; (b) the processing of microbially contaminated meat on cutting boards cleaned using traditional practices leads to cross-contamination; and (c) several potentially pathogenic microorganisms found on the cutting boards have good biofilm-forming abilities. These results reinforce the need to review the traditional methods used to clean wooden cutting boards after the processing of raw meat in Hong Kong' wet markets so as to prevent cross-contamination events. The establishment of proper hygiene protocols may reduce the spread of disease-causing microorganisms (including antibiotic-resistant microorganisms) in food-processing environments.

The microbial safety of fish and fish products: Recent advances in understanding its significance, contamination sources, and control strategies

“…Cross‐contamination and bacterial growth are the two major concerns. Hands and utensils, as well as other food contact surfaces in kitchens, have repeatedly been reported as contamination sources based on several recent studies (Dantas et al., 2018; Habib et al., 2020; Rossi, Beilke, & Barreto, 2018; Sekoai et al., 2020). Poor food handling and hygiene practices further increase the risk of cross‐contamination.…”

Questioning the source of identified non-foodborne pathogens from food-contact wooden surfaces used in Hong Kong's urban wet markets

“…The finding of foodborne and non-foodborne pathogens in wet market cutting board settings should be considered an alarming indicator of poor hygienic conditions. Recent studies have indicated that poor hygiene practices at wet markets may have exposed cutting boards to spoilage and pathogenic surface contamination [ 5 , 19 ]. Regular surface hygiene of such wet market cutting boards may be necessary.…”

“…Biofilm detachment can arise at different stages of the biofilm formation dynamic. In the case of the surface microcosm of cutting boards, it may lead to the release and transfer of bacterial cells onto the foods being processed [ 19 ]. The wooden cutting board surface can be described as a porous material with hydrophilic properties that can provide a suitable environment conducive to the harboring, persistence and proliferation of spoilage and diverse pathogenic organisms [ 9 , 20 , 21 ].…”

Emerging Zoonotic Diseases: Should We Rethink the Animal–Human Interface?

“…Eating wild animals is a symbol of wealth, and their meat is perceived to be more natural and nutritious than meat from farmed animals, and is also an ingredient in traditional medicines (9). Wet markets are often characterized by poor hygiene (10,11) and the presence of live animals kept in crowded conditions. Together with the difficulty of hygienically selling food in such environments, another risk factor for EZDs is the largely undescribed virus diversity that can been found in some wildlife orders, such as bats, rodents and primates (12).…”