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Antibiotic-Resistant Staphylococci Isolated from Hermetically Packaged Frozen Vegetables

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The Chemistry of Frozen Vegetables

Part of the book series: SpringerBriefs in Molecular Science ((BRIEFSCHEFO))

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of antibiotic-resistant staphylococci in frozen vegetables during long-term storage of these products. The vegetables were subjected to freezing at −40 °C (fluidisation technique). Experimental temperature values in frozen tissues reached −18 °C. Vegetables were packed in polyethylene airtight bags. The study involved 33 assortments of frozen vegetables. The number of Staphylococcus aureus in frozen vegetables achieved 3.5 log10 CFU/g; 4.7% of these samples showed unacceptable microbial counts. The maximum level of methicillin-resistant S. aureus was 4.25 log10 CFU/g. All samples showed also the presence of aerobic bacteria without correlation between their number and staphylococci counts. On these bases, the Regulation (EC) No. 2073/2005, recently amended in 2007, could be modified with a condition concerning the absence of S. aureus in vegetable products ready for frozen storage because of the possible detection or the presence of methicillin-resistant S. aureus in final products.

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Abbreviations

CFU:

Colony Forming Unit

MR:

Methicillin resistant

MRSA:

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus

MSSA:

Methicillin-sensitive S. aureus

MSSA:

Methicillin-susceptible S. aureus

MDRA:

Multidrug-resistant S. aureus

PE:

Polyethylene

RH:

Relative humidity

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Gdynia Maritime University, Gdynia, Poland

    Izabela Steinka

  2. Associazione “Componiamo il Futuro” (COIF), Palermo, Italy

    Caterina Barone

  3. Industrial Consultant, Palermo, Italy

    Salvatore Parisi

  4. Industrial Consultant, Messina, Italy

    Marina Micali

Authors
  1. Izabela Steinka
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  2. Caterina Barone
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  3. Salvatore Parisi
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  4. Marina Micali
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Correspondence to Izabela Steinka .

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Steinka, I., Barone, C., Parisi, S., Micali, M. (2017). Antibiotic-Resistant Staphylococci Isolated from Hermetically Packaged Frozen Vegetables. In: The Chemistry of Frozen Vegetables. SpringerBriefs in Molecular Science(). Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-53932-4_1

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