ARS | Publication request: Microbial quality of catfish nuggets

Submitted to: Journal of Food Protection
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: September 17, 2012
Publication Date: N/A

Interpretive Summary: The microbiological quality of catfish nuggets is not known. Nuggets, purchased from local retailers in the northeast United States (NJ, NY, PA, and DE), were tested for background microflora and the presence of pathogens. The BAX**™ polymerase chain reaction system was used to determine the presence of Salmonella, Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria spp., and E. coli O157:H7. The average aerobic plate count for background microflora was 5.4 log 10 cfu/g, which is within the finfish standard recommended by the International Commission on Microbiological Specifications for Food (ICMSF). No E. coli or E. coli O157:H7 was detected. Of the 150 nuggets tested only 3 were positive for Salmonella spp., only two were positive for enterotoxin-negative Staph. aureus, while Listeria spp. was detected in 87 % of the nuggets. These results indicate the overall microbiological quality of catfish nuggets is good.

Technical Abstract: The microbiological quality of catfish nuggets is not known. Nuggets, purchased from local retailers in the northeast United States (NJ, NY, PA, and DE), were tested for aerobic plate count (APC) at 22 and 37 deg C, Enterobacteriacea, and Escherichia coli/coliform using Petrifilms**™. The BAX**™ polymerase chain reaction system was used to determine the presence of Salmonella, Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria spp., and E. coli O157:H7. The overall average for APC at 37 deg C was 5.4 log 10 cfu/g, which is within the finfish standard recommended by the International Commission on Microbiological Specifications for Food (ICMSF). No E. coli or E. coli O157:H7 was detected. Of the 150 nuggets only 3 tested positive for Salmonella spp., only two were positive for enterotoxin negative Staph. aureus, while Listeria spp. was detected in 87 % of the nuggets. These results indicate the overall microbiological quality of catfish nuggets is good.