ARS | Publication request: Prevalence and enumeration of microorganisms on catfish nuggets

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: February 17, 2012
Publication Date: February 17, 2012
Citation: Rajkowski, K.T., Hughes, S.G. 2012. Prevalence and enumeration of microorganisms on catfish nuggets. Meeting Abstract. Catfish Farmers of America Meeting. Savannah, Georgia. February 17-18, 2012.1:1.

Technical Abstract: Catfish nuggets, either fresh or pre-packed frozen, were purchased from local retailers in the northeast United States (NJ, NY, PA, DE, and MD) and tested for microbiological quality. The microbiological background including total aerobic plate counts (APC) at 22 and 37 deg C, Enterbacteriacea, Escherichia coli/coliforms using Petrifilms-TM was determined. The BAX-TM system was used for polymerase chain reaction detection of Salmonella, Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria spp., Vibrio and E. coli O157:H7. The results of the APC at both temperatures were below the ICMF recommended counts of 5.7 log CFU/gm for finfish. No E. coli O157:H7 was detected. Of the 150 nuggets tested, 2 tested positive for S. aureus while 3 tested positive for Salmonella spp. Listeria spp. and Vibrio spp. were detected in 87% and 26% of the nuggets respectively, which is consistent with the incidences for those foodborne pathogens as reported in other studies.