Skip to main content
ARS Home » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #143977
Title: RECOVERY RATE OF LISTERIA MONOCYTOGENES FROM COMMERCIALLY PREPARED FRANKFURTERS DURING EXTENDED REFRIGERATED STORAGE

Author
item Wallace, Frederick
item Call, Jeffrey
item Luchansky, John
item COCOMA, GEORGE - PROF. RESOURCE ORG.

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/1/2003
Publication Date: 8/10/2003
Citation: Wallace, F.M., Call, J.E., Luchansky, J.B., Cocoma, G. 2003. Recovery rate of listeria monocytogenes from commercially prepared frankfurters during extended refrigerated storage. Internation Association for Food Protection. Abstract #P164, p. 116.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: To assess the prevalence of Listeria monocytogenes in vacuum-sealed packages of frankfurters, about 33,000 packages, one pound each, were obtained by a third-party contractor from 12 volunteer commercial manufacturers over a two-year period. The 12 producers were comprised of 9 large and 3 small plants located in 8 USDA/FSIS districts in 10 states. Five days following manufacture, 500 packages were sampled using the USDA/ARS package rinse method. At regular intervals during subsequent storage at 4 and 10 C an additional 200 packages were tested at each sampling point. From a statistical perspective, 9 producers did not have any packages/pounds which tested positive, whereas the pathogen was recovered at a rate of 1.5% (plant 367), 2.2% (plant 439), and 16% (plant 133) from product from the remaining three plants. In total, 532 of 32,800 (1.6%) packages/pounds from plants 133, 367, and 439 tested positive for the pathogen. The recovery rate did not change appreciably over time and there was no appreciable difference in recovery of the pathogen between storage at 4 or 10 C. Molecular subtyping of multiple isolates from each plant testing positive revealed that although isolates with a signature ribotype were recovered from each plant, it was also possible to recover isolates with more than one profile from a given plant. A single profile exhibiting a ½a serotype, however, was displayed by 90% of 1102 isolates tested. These data establish the prevalence, types, and viability of L. monocytogenes associated with commercially-prepared frankfurters during extended refrigerated storage.