The cold‐resistant bacteria resident in quick‐frozen dumpling were systematically analyzed to estimate the microbial contamination. The results showed that Pseudomonas and Stenotrophomonas were the main microbial sources. Among them, Stenotrophomonas maltophilia was a common environmental or clinical opportunistic pathogen. Therefore, this study further investigated the characteristics of S. maltophilia 4‐1, and five bacteriostatic agents were used to inhibit the strain. S. maltophilia 4‐1 could tolerate a certain salt concentration and was suitable for growth in a neutral or weakly alkaline environment. Its optimum growth temperature ranges from 28 to 37°C. The antibacterial tests suggested that chloramphenicol had the best antibacterial effect on S. maltophilia 4‐1, and acetic acid could inhibit S. maltophilia 4‐1 by providing an acidic environment. Tea polyphenol also had inhibitory effect on S. maltophilia 4‐1 with MIC value of 1.25 mg/ml, which was expected to be a natural antibacterial agent for the control of S. maltophilia.
Practical applications
There are few studies on the safety of quick‐frozen dumplings. This study focused on quick‐frozen dumpling and revealed the distribution of low‐temperature microorganisms, providing a reference for understanding the safety of quick‐frozen foods and indicating the direction of targeted control of microbial contamination. Tea polyphenols exhibited a good antibacterial effect on S. maltophilia, which demonstrated the potential of natural products in inhibiting food‐borne bacteria. This finding laid a theoretical foundation for the application of natural bacteriostatic agents in foods.