Prevalence and Numbers of Listeria monocytogenes in Various Ready-to-Eat Foods over a 5-Year Period in Estonia

Julia Koskar; Toomas Kramarenko; Kadrin Meremäe; Maiu Kuningas; Jelena Sõgel; Mihkel Mäesaar; Dea Anton; Merike Lillenberg; Mati Roasto

doi:10.4315/0362-028X.JFP-18-383

Prevalence and Numbers of Listeria monocytogenes in Various Ready-to-Eat Foods over a 5-Year Period in Estonia

J Food Prot. 2019 Apr;82(4):597-604. doi: 10.4315/0362-028X.JFP-18-383.

Authors

Julia Koskar^{1

2}, Toomas Kramarenko^{1

2}, Kadrin Meremäe¹, Maiu Kuningas², Jelena Sõgel³, Mihkel Mäesaar^{1

2}, Dea Anton¹, Merike Lillenberg¹, Mati Roasto¹

Affiliations

¹ 1 Chair of Food Hygiene and Veterinary Public Health, Institute of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Sciences, Estonian University of Life Sciences, Kreutzwaldi 56/3, 51014, Tartu, Estonia.
² 2 Veterinary and Food Laboratory, Kreutzwaldi 30, 51006, Tartu, Estonia.
³ 3 Veterinary and Food Board, Food Department, Väike-Paala 3, 11415, Tallinn, Estonia.

PMID: 30907662
DOI: 10.4315/0362-028X.JFP-18-383

Abstract

This study is a significant contribution to L. monocytogenes risk analysis. L. monocytogenes was found in 3.6% of 30,016 analyzed RTE food samples. A food safety criterion of 100 CFU/g was exceeded for 0.3% of the RTE food samples. Salted and cold-smoked fish products were found to be potentially high-risk foods.

Keywords: Numbers; Prevalence; RTE foods.

MeSH terms

Animals
Colony Count, Microbial
Estonia
Food Contamination
Food Microbiology
Listeria monocytogenes*
Meat Products
Prevalence