Microbiological quality of kebabs sold in Palermo and Messina

Abstract

Aim of this study was to evaluate the microbiological quality of kebabs retailed in Palermo and Messina. Twenty raw and 22 cooked kebab samples were analysed to determine the aerobic mesophilic bacteria (AMB), Enterobacteriaceae, Escherichia coli, sulphite reducing anaerobes, coagulase positive staphylococci, micrococci, Bacillus cereus and the presence of Salmonella spp. and Listeria monocytogenes. In raw kebabs, AMB ranged from 4.00 to 7.34 log cfu/g and Enterobacteriaceae from 1.00 to 7.59 log cfu/g. Escherichia coli and sulphite reducing anaerobe counts were from <1.00 to 6.18 and 4 log cfu/g, respectively. Coagulase positive staphylococci ranged from <1.00 to 3.48 log cfu/g and micrococci from <1.00 to 6.00 log cfu/g. Listeria spp. was found in three raw kebab samples. In cooked kebabs, the AMB values ranged from 1.78 to 6.30 log cfu/g, Enterobacteriaceae from 1.00 to 4.00 log cfu/g and micrococci from <1.00 to 5.30 log cfu/g. Three samples were positive for Escherichia coli (from 1 to 1.30 log cfu/g) and one for sulphite reducing anaerobes (2.00 log cfu/g). Coagulase positive staphylococci were found in two samples with loads of 2.30 and 2.78 cfu/g, respectively. Salmonella spp., Listeria monocytogenes and Bacillus cereus were not isolated in raw and cooked samples. The results of this study show that the microbiological quality of kebabs sold in Palermo and Messina is quite variable. The authors stress the importance of selection of raw material of high quality as well as the control of cooking and storage temperatures in order to minimise bacterial potential hazards. IntroduzioneIl döner kebab è un piatto a base di carne, tipico della gastronomia turca, persiana e araba, divenuto popolare in America settentrionale e in Europa occidentale grazie all'immigrazione proveniente dal Medio Oriente. Successivamente si è diffuso un po' ovunque e oggi può trovarsi in numerose versioni, a seconda dei paesi e delle culture.La carne (solitamente di bovino ma anche di pollo, tacchino, ovino e, solo nelle versioni occidentali, specie in Grecia, di maiale), tagliata a fettine e in parte triturata, viene condita o marinata, per almeno 3-6 h, con una grande varietà di spezie, secondo la richiesta, quali origano, menta, peperoncino, cannella, cumino, coriandolo, pepe, sale, olio, ecc. Successivamente essa viene impilata su uno spiedo metallico a formare un grosso cono, alternando le fettine con la parte trita e ponendo alla sommità parti grasse che, colando durante la cottura, evitano l'eccessivo essiccamento delle parti sottostanti. Una volta assemblato, il kebab può essere sottoposto a cottura, se consumato nel luogo di preparazione, o distribuito nei punti vendita. Più frequentemente, specie per i locali che lavorano in franchising, il kebab è di provenienza industriale, allo stato congelato, con pezzature variabili da 5 fino anche a 150 kg.Durante la cottura, oggi eseguita prevalentemente in sistemi dedicati a gas o elettrici, le temperature possono notevolmente oscillare in base alle dimensioni della preparazi...

Kebab: can the traditional cooking process sanitize a natural contamination by Listeria monocytogenes?

“…These unexpected results were also observed by Ziino et al . ( 2013 ), that report in cooked kebabs MAB values ranged from 1.78 to 6.30 log CFU/g. Moreover, even if Enterobateriaceae seem to be efficiently controlled by the traditional cooking process, the results obtained in the collecting pan demonstrate that a fraction of this microorganisms survives the process and can grow above the detection limit of microbiological methods in the time laps between preparation of sliced meat and the selling of panini.…”

“…Kebab houses visited during the study received frozen kebab from industrial continuous producers (Italian and German) but the microbiologic counts on raw kebab before cooking process show that concerns about hygiene process in production phases, remain present (MAB>6 log CFU/g, E.coli always present). These results are in accord with other studied (Vazgeçer et al ., 2004 ; Gençer and Kaya, 2004 ; Kayışoğlu et al ., 2003 ), that analyzed Turkish kebab samples at restaurants and are also in accord to an Italian study conducted in two towns of Sicily island (IT) Palermo and Messina (Ziino et al ., 2013 ). Moreover, the answer received by the operators of kebab houses visited, although they cannot be considered representative of the totality of the operating restaurants, open important concerns about the hygienic formation of the staffs.…”

UJI CEMARAN Salmonella sp. DAN Staphylococcus aureus PADA DAGING KEBAB YANG DIJUAL DI JALAN DURIAN PEKANBARU

“…Proses penyiapan dan pemasakan daging kebab berpotensi menyebabkan daging tidak matang sempurna (undercooked) dan rentan kontaminasi baik dari daging mentahnya maupun dari bahan-bahan lain yang digunakan (Hillier, Krsteski, dan Rockliff, 2014). Beberapa jenis bakteri yang dapat menyebabkan kontaminasi pada daging mentah atau daging olahan seperti kebab adalah Salmonella sp., Campylobacter sp., Escherichia coli O157:H7 (Roels, et al, 1997), Staphylococcus dan Micrococcus (Ziino, Gurrera, dan Beninati, 2013).…”

Mislabelling of Döner kebab sold in Italy

“…Döner kebabs have often been identified as vehicles for foodborne pathogens such as Clostridium perfringens , Salmonella spp. and Staphylococcus aureus (Kayisoglu et al ., 2003; Food Standard Agency, 2005; Ziino et al ., 2013). Evaluation of kebab labels must address the problem of information on the proper storage conditions for the product unsold at the end of the day that is regulated by national agencies (Food Standard Agency, 2005; NSW Food Authority, 2012).…”