Listeria spp. AND Listeria monocytogenes IN INDUSTRIAL PLANTS OF HOT DOG FRANKFURTERS

Abstract

Listeria monocytogenes is widely distributed in the environment and it has been isolated from food that were associated to outbreaks of high lethality in many countries. Thus, this bacterium represents an important pathogen to the public health. Ready-to-eat products, like cooked stuffed food, within them, frankfurters, are associated to human listeriosis in many countries. Taking into consideration the importance of the subject and the need of more data about it, the occurrence of Listeria spp. and L. monocytogenes in industrial plants, in meat raw materials, in slurry and frankfurters was investigated. These samples were collected in two production plants with SIF (Federal Inspection Service); in one of them GMP, HACCP and SOP were implemented. The results of the 106 microbiological analysis were submitted to the program @Risk to obtain the risk analysis; the mean values results showed that 7 to 9% of the frankfurters in the market may have L. monocytogenes. The analysis indicated that 88 strains of L. monocytogenes were obtained from 106 samples; among them, 76 were collected in the industrial plants that participate in the experiment, and 30 were collected in the market. In serological typification, 95% of these strains were classified as serotypes 4b, 1/2a and 1/2b. Besides the presence of the bacterium in frankfurthers consumed in Brazil and the risk factors associated to this pathogen, the situation concerns because of the lack of epidemiological data, absence of patterns and the deficient information given to the consumer, specially information related to the presence of L. monocytogenes, particularly important to the groups at risk, as well as information related to the importance of heating the product.

KEY-WORDS: contamination, cooked stuffed food, listeriosis, industrial plant.