Ropy slime-producing lactic acid bacteria contamination at meat processing plants

Mäkelä, Pia; Korkeala, Hannu; Laine, Jorma J.

doi:10.1016/0168-1605(92)90016-v

Cited by 20 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…Accordingly, none of the strains of B. thermosphacta or Carnobacterium maltaromaticum tested previously was found to be proteolytic and lipolytic, while producing off-flavors arising from sugar catabolism (53,54). Lactic acid bacteria are reported to be producers of polysaccharidic ropy slime (55)(56)(57). However, spoilage-related activities must be considered strain specific and may be influenced by abiotic factors such as pH, NaCl concentration, or temperature, as well as interactions with other components of the microbial community (2,10,55).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Overlap of Spoilage-Associated Microbiota between Meat and the Meat Processing Environment in Small-Scale and Large-Scale Retail Distributions

Stellato

Storia

Filippis

et al. 2016

Appl Environ Microbiol

147

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Microbial contamination in food processing plants can play a fundamental role in food quality and safety. The aims of this study were to learn more about the possible influence of the meat processing environment on initial fresh meat contamination and to investigate the differences between small-scale retail distribution (SD) and large-scale retail distribution (LD) facilities. Samples were collected from butcheries (n ‫؍‬ 20), including LD (n ‫؍‬ 10) and SD (n ‫؍‬ 10) facilities, over two sampling campaigns. Samples included fresh beef and pork cuts and swab samples from the knife, the chopping board, and the butcher's hand. The microbiota of both meat samples and environmental swabs were very complex, including more than 800 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) collapsed at the species level. The 16S rRNA sequencing analysis showed that core microbiota were shared by 80% of the samples and included Pseudomonas spp., Streptococcus spp., Brochothrix spp., Psychrobacter spp., and Acinetobacter spp. Hierarchical clustering of the samples based on the microbiota showed a certain separation between meat and environmental samples, with higher levels of Proteobacteria in meat. In particular, levels of Pseudomonas and several Enterobacteriaceae members were significantly higher in meat samples, while Brochothrix, Staphylococcus, lactic acid bacteria, and Psychrobacter prevailed in environmental swab samples. Consistent clustering was also observed when metabolic activities were considered by predictive metagenomic analysis of the samples. An increase in carbohydrate metabolism was predicted for the environmental swabs and was consistently linked to Firmicutes, while increases in pathways related to amino acid and lipid metabolism were predicted for the meat samples and were positively correlated with Proteobacteria. Our results highlighted the importance of the processing environment in contributing to the initial microbial levels of meat and clearly showed that the type of retail facility (LD or SD) did not apparently affect the contamination. IMPORTANCEThe study provides an in-depth description of the microbiota of meat and meat processing environments. It highlights the importance of the environment as a contamination source of spoilage bacteria, and it shows that the size of the retail facility does not affect the level and type of contamination. Meat is a complex niche with chemical and physical properties that allow the colonization and development of a variety of microorganisms, especially bacteria (1, 2). Several factors can influence the occurrence of microbes in meat. After slaughtering, meat can be contaminated by microorganisms from water, air, and soil, as well as from the workers and equipment involved in the processing. In the later processing steps of the fresh meat chain (i.e., handling, cutting, and storage), abiotic factors such as temperature, gaseous atmosphere, pH, and NaCl levels select for certain bacteria, allowing colonization of the meat surface by different spoilage-related species and...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Overlap of Spoilage-Associated Microbiota between Meat and the Meat Processing Environment in Small-Scale and Large-Scale Retail Distributions

Stellato

Storia

Filippis

et al. 2016

Appl Environ Microbiol

147

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Low bacterial counts at Five groups of lactic acid bacteria have been shown to the center of the sausage compared to high counts on surfac e cause the formation of ropy slime (8,46,53,55) . On the are apparently attributable to differences in microenvironbasis of DNA-DNA homology, four of these groups contain ments, especially aW .…”

Section: Microbiological Contaminatio N Accumulation Of Slime and Milmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…must be prevented from being transferred to other room s where the products are handled after cooking (51,53) . To…”

Section: Microbiological Contaminatio N Accumulation Of Slime and Milmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microbiological Spoilage and Contamination of Vacuum-Packaged Cooked Sausages

Korkeala

Björkroth

1997

Journal of Food Protection

Self Cite

121

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Lactic acid bacteria are considered a major component of th e microbial population found on various types of vacuum-package d cooked sausages . Lactobacillus sake and Lactobacillus curvatu s have been shown to be common species in these products . L . sak e seems to form the predominant part of the spoilage population . Lactic acid bacterial growth on the surface of the sausage s produces undesirable sensory attributes, such as sour aroma an d taste . A specific spoilage phenomenon of commercial significance , characterized by long, stretchy, polysaccharide ropes betwee n sausages or sausage slices, has also been found . L . sake strains play a major role in this spoilage phenomenon as well . Cooking o f sausages during manufacturing destroys lactic acid bacteria on th e surface of the sausages . Sausages are recontaminated with spoilag e lactic acid bacteria mainly during the processing stages afte r cooking . During the chilling process, product contamination apparently results from exposure to airborne microorganisms . Workers and equipment are among the most likely sources of contamination during packaging and slicing . Spoilage strains originating from ra w material may spread to other areas in the production facility (i .e . , chill, slicing, and packaging rooms) via the air, workers and equipment . Decontamination methods can be used to prevent th e growth of spoilage microorganisms and to extend the shelf life o f vacuum-packaged sausages after packaging .

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“…On the basis of LAB growth alone, it cannot be determined if a sample contains species or strains later associated with the spoilage of a product. Very few attempts have been made to study recontamination by the spoilage-causing LAB species and strains in particular (4,24,26,28). The sources of the spoilage LAB and the routes and sites of the recontamination in meat-producing plants are still poorly known.…”

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confidence: 99%

Use of rRNA gene restriction patterns to evaluate lactic acid bacterium contamination of vacuum-packaged sliced cooked whole-meat product in a meat processing plant

Björkroth

Korkeala

1997

Appl Environ Microbiol

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Molecular typing was applied to an in-plant lactic acid bacterium (LAB) contamination analysis of a vacuum-packaged sliced cooked whole-meat product. A total of 982 LAB isolates from the raw mass, product, and the environment at different production stages were screened by restriction endonuclease (EcoRI and HindIII) analysis. rRNA gene restriction patterns were further determined for different strains obtained from each source. These patterns were used for recognizing the spoilage-causing LAB strains from the product on the sell-by day and tracing the sources and sites of spoilage LAB contamination during the manufacture. LAB typing resulted in 71 different ribotypes, of which 27 were associated with contamination routes. Raw material was distinguished as the source of the major spoilage strains. Contamination of the product surfaces after cooking was shown to be airborne. The removal of the product from the cooking forms was localized as a major site of airborne LAB contamination. Food handlers and some surfaces in contact with the product during the manufacture were also contaminated with the spoilage strains. Some LAB strains were also able to resist cooking in the core of the product bar. These strains may have an effect on the product shelf life by contaminating the slicing machine. The air in the slicing department and adjacent cold room contained very few LAB. Surface-mediated contamination was detected during the slicing and packaging stages. Food handlers also carried strains later found in the packaged product. Molecular typing provided useful information revealing the LAB contamination sources and sites of this product. The production line will be reorganized in accordance with these results to reduce spoilage LAB contamination.

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Ropy slime-producing lactic acid bacteria contamination at meat processing plants

Cited by 20 publications

References 10 publications

Overlap of Spoilage-Associated Microbiota between Meat and the Meat Processing Environment in Small-Scale and Large-Scale Retail Distributions

Overlap of Spoilage-Associated Microbiota between Meat and the Meat Processing Environment in Small-Scale and Large-Scale Retail Distributions

Microbiological Spoilage and Contamination of Vacuum-Packaged Cooked Sausages

Use of rRNA gene restriction patterns to evaluate lactic acid bacterium contamination of vacuum-packaged sliced cooked whole-meat product in a meat processing plant

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