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Food safety is a widespread challenge. Every year it is estimated that almost 1 in 10 people in the world fall ill after eating contaminated food resulting in over 400,000 deaths. The risk of outbreaks is higher when consuming ready‐to‐eat (RTE) products because they are eaten without a further cooking process that could inactivate pathogenic microorganisms. Hence, food processing is essential to increase the safety of RTE products. Microbiological risk assessment (MRA) integrates food science, microbiology and data science to provide a comprehensive understanding of the safety of the food system. MRA provides qualitative and/or quantitative information to decision makers, which might promote the adoption of better food practices. In this contest, this project aims to study and implement tools for quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) of food products along the food chain. A common RTE product (cured ham) from Spain was used as a case study. Following, the exposure assessment model was implemented using mathematical models and statistical software to describe the microbial behaviour along the food chain. The study presents the possibility to identify the risk exposure in different scenarios (e.g. growth during different storage conditions, inactivation induced by traditional or innovative decontamination techniques), showing the flexibility of the predictive tools developed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

Listeria monocytogenes is a major foodborne pathogen which mainly infects susceptible individuals through the consumption of contaminated foods. To this end, ready-to-eat (RTE) food products are of particular concern as this microorganism is widely distributed, can survive, and even grow, under adverse conditions, and thus must be carefully controlled. In the present study, an interlaboratory ring trial was organized to evaluate an open formula qPCR-based method for the detection of L. monocytogenes. The molecular method was evaluated on a novel RTE seafood product, developed in the framework of a European project, the SEAFOODAGE (EAPA_758/2018). Six laboratories located in Spain and Portugal participated in the study, and the results obtained indicated that this new method presented high diagnostic sensitivity (100%) reaching a low limit of detection (<10 CFU/25 g) with an overall agreement with the reference method, attending to the Cohen's k, of 0.97 that is interpreted as "almost complete agreement". • An open formula qPCR assay to control L. monocytogenes in a novel ready-to-eat seafood product was evaluated. • The evaluation was performed in an international interlaboratory ring trial. • The assay targets the hly gene and includes a competitive internal amplification control. • It was possible to detect < 10 CFU/25 g by all the participating laboratories. • The Cohen's k obtained was 0.97, interpreted as "almost complete agreement". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

The aim of this study was to obtain data from refrigerated ready-to-eat seafood products at retail in Spain (young eels, crabstick and smoked salmon), regarding prevalence and levels of Listeria monocytogenes, storage temperatures and the impact of transport conditions (type of bag) on the temperature of the product. The one-year surveillance period was carried out according to the EC Regulation No. 2073/2005, taking 5 units/batch and analyzing 250 samples following ISO 11290-1/A1 and ISO 11290-2/A methodologies. Low prevalence of L. monocytogenes was observed in surimi products, while 4.8% of smoked salmon samples were positive for Listeria with low levels (<10 cfu/g) and uneven pathogen distribution. A single company was responsible for 80% of the positive lots. All purchased products showed values higher than 4 °C at retail and an average increase of 2.5 °C or up to 6.2 °C was recorded when isothermal or plastic shopping bags were used for transport, respectively. To avoid noncompliance of the Food Safety Objective for L. monocytogenes in seafood RTE products more efforts from all stakeholders are needed, with special attention so as to improve control and maintenance of refrigerators at retail and to enhance consumer education regarding food safety practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

Temperature is one of the main factors governing the growth of microorganisms. The aim of the present study was to provide temperature conditions representative of the food products stored in domestic refrigerators and to assess the impact of the temperature (fluctuation) on the shelf-life of refrigerated cooked meat products, from the safety and the spoilage point of view. The analysis of the time-temperature profiles recorded from 160 domestic refrigerators of households from small (28%) and large (72%) municipalities in Catalonia (Spain) showed that the 24 h-mean temperature could be described by a normal distribution (mean = 5.4 °C, standard deviation = 2.3 °C) with a mean value within the upper limit of the appropriate storage temperature of refrigerated products (i.e. ≤6 °C). The impact of door openings or day and night was not significant. Temperature distribution showed differences depending on the season, being higher in the cold season than in the warm one. Noteworthy, refrigerators of elderly (≥ 65 years old) households showed a higher percentage of time at temperatures >8 °C in comparison with those of the general population. Overall, the 75th percentile of the distribution of the 24 h-mean temperature values was 6.7 °C. This study can be used as a scientific evidence of the consumer storage stage when food business operators or laboratories conduct shelf-life studies. According to the simulation of the growth of Listeria monocytogenes and lactic acid bacteria in cooked meat products, risk scenarios were identified in which the critical level of the pathogen could be reached before lactic acid bacteria achieved the spoilage level. The fluctuation of the refrigerator temperature ranged from 0.5 up to 12.2 °C within the 24 h-profile. The assessment of the safety of cooked meat products stored at constant temperature or under different time-temperature profiles showed that both the mean and the fluctuation of the profile had an impact on the shelf-life , which was higher at low temperatures. The improvement of the household refrigerated storage would be an effective way to increase food safety of refrigerated ready-to-eat food. Unlabelled Image • The mean 24 h-mean temperature of 160 surveyed domestic refrigerators was 5.4 °C. • The study indicates 6.7 °C as the 75th percentile for consumer storage stage. • Risk scenarios where L. monocytogenes develops before LAB spoilage were identified. • Temperature fluctuation negatively affects the safety of RTE products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...