Estimating Listeria monocytogenes Growth in Ready-to-Eat Chicken Salad Using a Challenge Test for Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment
Rita Bernardo
CIISA - Centro de Investigação Interdisciplinar em Sanidade Animal, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade de Lisboa, Avenida da Universidade Técnica, Lisboa, 1300-477 Portugal
Search for more papers by this authorAntónio Salvador Barreto
CIISA - Centro de Investigação Interdisciplinar em Sanidade Animal, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade de Lisboa, Avenida da Universidade Técnica, Lisboa, 1300-477 Portugal
Search for more papers by this authorTelmo Nunes
CIISA - Centro de Investigação Interdisciplinar em Sanidade Animal, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade de Lisboa, Avenida da Universidade Técnica, Lisboa, 1300-477 Portugal
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Ana Rita Henriques
CIISA - Centro de Investigação Interdisciplinar em Sanidade Animal, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade de Lisboa, Avenida da Universidade Técnica, Lisboa, 1300-477 Portugal
Address correspondence to Ana Rita Henriques, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade de Lisboa, Avenida da Universidade Técnica, 1300-477 Lisboa, Portugal; tel: +351213652834; anaritah@fmv.ulisboa.pt
Search for more papers by this authorRita Bernardo
CIISA - Centro de Investigação Interdisciplinar em Sanidade Animal, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade de Lisboa, Avenida da Universidade Técnica, Lisboa, 1300-477 Portugal
Search for more papers by this authorAntónio Salvador Barreto
CIISA - Centro de Investigação Interdisciplinar em Sanidade Animal, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade de Lisboa, Avenida da Universidade Técnica, Lisboa, 1300-477 Portugal
Search for more papers by this authorTelmo Nunes
CIISA - Centro de Investigação Interdisciplinar em Sanidade Animal, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade de Lisboa, Avenida da Universidade Técnica, Lisboa, 1300-477 Portugal
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Ana Rita Henriques
CIISA - Centro de Investigação Interdisciplinar em Sanidade Animal, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade de Lisboa, Avenida da Universidade Técnica, Lisboa, 1300-477 Portugal
Address correspondence to Ana Rita Henriques, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade de Lisboa, Avenida da Universidade Técnica, 1300-477 Lisboa, Portugal; tel: +351213652834; anaritah@fmv.ulisboa.pt
Search for more papers by this authorAbstract
Currently, there is a growing preference for convenience food products, such as ready-to-eat (RTE) foods, associated with long refrigerated shelf-lives, not requiring a heat treatment prior to consumption. Because Listeria monocytogenes is able to grow at refrigeration temperatures, inconsistent temperatures during production, distribution, and at consumer's household may allow for the pathogen to thrive, reaching unsafe limits. L. monocytogenes is the causative agent of listeriosis, a rare but severe human illness, with high fatality rates, transmitted almost exclusively by food consumption. With the aim of assessing the quantitative microbial risk of L. monocytogenes in RTE chicken salads, a challenge test was performed. Salads were inoculated with a three-strain mixture of cold-adapted L. monocytogenes and stored at 4, 12, and 16 °C for eight days. Results revealed that the salad was able to support L. monocytogenes’ growth, even at refrigeration temperatures. The Baranyi primary model was fitted to microbiological data to estimate the pathogen's growth kinetic parameters. Temperature effect on the maximum specific growth rate (μmax) was modeled using a square-root-type model. Storage temperature significantly influenced μmax of L. monocytogenes (p < 0.05). These predicted growth models for L. monocytogenes were subsequently used to develop a quantitative microbial risk assessment, estimating a median number of 0.00008726 listeriosis cases per year linked to the consumption of these RTE salads. Sensitivity analysis considering different time–temperature scenarios indicated a very low median risk per portion (<−7 log), even if the assessed RTE chicken salad was kept in abuse storage conditions.
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