Dados do Trabalho

Título

SURVIVAL OF Salmonella enterica IN CARROT SPAGHETTI STORED AT DIFFERENT RELATIVE HUMIDITIES CONDITIONS

Introdução

Salmonella enterica is one of the most important pathogens associated with diarrheal diseases. Carrot spaghetti has become a popular ready-to-eat product following the vegetarianism trend. Worldwide used in raw dishes, carrot spaghetti has been linked to recalls due to contamination with S. enterica. The product can be contaminated during the minimum processing due to improper hygienic conditions. Little is known about the ability of S. enterica to survive in carrot spaghetti as a function of temperature and relative humidity (RH) conditions.

Material e Métodos

This study assessed the behavior of a S. enterica cocktail (serotype S. Typhimurium, S. Enteritidis, S. Newport, S. Saintpaul) in carrot spaghetti stored at 9 ºC and 75, 85, and 95% RH during seven days (0-168 h). Samples (3 g) were inoculated with S. enterica (~7 log CFU/g) and stored at 9 °C in desiccators over saturated saline of nitrate chloride to achieve 75, 85, and 95% RH conditions. Every 24 h of storage, samples were serially diluted in sterile saline solution and plated onto bismuth sulfite agar (BS). Plates were incubated at 37 °C for 24 h. Viable cells of S. enterica were enumerated and log-transformed. The detection limit was 2 log CFU/g. All analyses were performed in triplicate in three distinct experiments. Data were analyzed using ANOVA considering (p<0.05).

Resultados e Discussão

The RH influenced the survival of S. enterica at different storage times under the tested conditions. A higher decrease was observed in lower RH storage. Decreases of 3.4, 2.8, and 2.3 log CFU/g of S. enterica in carrot spaghetti were recorded after 168 h of storage at 75, 85 and 95% RH, respectively.

Conclusão

Results describe the behavior of an important foodborne pathogen in a ready-to-eat product. Findings may assist in developing management strategies to deal with S. enterica risk in carrot spaghetti during storage.