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Colistin-resistant Escherichia coli (COE) has been recently recognized as a serious threat to animal and human health. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and antibiotic resistance profile of COE isolated from raw beef and cow feces in Vietnam. Our results showed that 16% (16/100) and 32% (32/100) of raw beef and cow feces samples were positive for COE, respectively. A total of 48 COE strains were isolated, with 16 originating from raw beef and 32 from cow feces samples. The antibiotic susceptibility test revealed that the COE isolates were highly resistant to ampicillin, tetracycline, florfenicol, trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole, streptomycin, and nalidixic acid, with resistance rates ranging from 66.67% to 87.5%. In addition, 87.5% of the isolates were identified to be multidrug-resistant strains. Further molecular characterization indicated that all COE isolates carried the mcr-1 gene, with 16 of them also harboring blaCTX-M-55 genes. Taken together, the findings in this study demonstrate that raw beef and cow feces are important sources of COE, which can be potentially transmitted to humans through the food chain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, growth potential of Listeria monocytogenes in steak tartare samples taken at retail and belonging to 13 brands marketed in Northern Italy was investigated. The samples were submitted to microbiological and chemical-physical characterization. The data obtained were used as inputs for the application of the predictive microbiology software FSSP that allows the estimation of the growth of L. monocytogenes during the shelf-life. Lactic acid bacteria, the main component of the microflora, gave variable counts among the brands (from 3.38 to 6.24 log CFU/g). pH and aw values were always higher than 5.3 and 0.96, respectively, thus they could not be considered as single efficient hurdles to prevent the growth of L. monocytogenes according to the EC Reg. 2073/2005; the same was observed for salt content (constantly

Escherichia coli is a notorious ubiquitous organism among the foodborne pathogens which can form biofilm leading to the development of antibiotic resistance. We aimed to investigate E. coli isolated from a total of 240 raw beef and ready-to-eat samples obtained from the capital of Bangladesh along with the microbial quality of the samples. The isolates underwent antibiogram profiling in accordance with the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute Guideline 2023 and characterized for the presence of antibiotic resistance genes, as well as for phenotypic and genotypic detection of biofilm formation. The average total aerobic counts and specific bacterial counts exceeded the recommended limit by Bangladesh Food Safety Authority. Among the samples, 86 (36%) samples were positive for E. coli. The antibiogram profile depicted diverse resistance patterns with the highest resistance to ampicillin (100%), amoxicillin (81%), ciprofloxacin (71%), and azithromycin (67%). However, vancomycin (64%), meropenem (57%) and aztreonam (51%) were the most sensitive antibiotics to the isolates. The antimicrobial resistance encoding genes blaTEM (72%) and tetA (65%) were the most prevalent where the percentage of blaOXA-1, blaCITM, blaNDM-1, blaCTX-M-2, blaCTX-M, blaCMY, blaCTX-M-1 and blaSHV genes were 42%, 33%, 6%, 20%, 17%, 16%, 14% and 9% respectively. Phenotypic characterization, utilizing Congo red agar and microtiter plate tests, identified 53 out of 86 isolates as biofilm producers, with 10 classified as strong producers, and 8 and 35 as intermediate and weak producers, respectively. Molecular detection methods revealed that among the 53 isolates positive for biofilm production, 96% carried the csgA gene. Additionally, high prevalence rates were observed for fliC (80%), bcsA (66%), and fimH (60%), indicating their significant roles in biofilm formation. Conversely, the prevalence of agn43 was lower, with only 30% of isolates harboring this gene. This study addresses a knowledge gap, highlighting the public health risks associated with biofilm-producing foodborne pathogens and the emergence of antimicrobial resistance, underscoring the necessity for improved hygiene practices to mitigate the public health threats posed by these pathogens.

Colistin-resistant Escherichia coli (COE) has been recently recognized as a serious threat to animal and human health. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and antibiotic resistance profile of COE isolated from raw beef and cow feces in Vietnam. Our results showed that 16% (16/100) and 32% (32/100) of raw beef and cow feces samples were positive for COE, respectively. A total of 48 COE strains were isolated, with 16 originating from raw beef and 32 from cow feces samples. The antibiotic susceptibility test revealed that the COE isolates were highly resistant to ampicillin, tetracycline, florfenicol, trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole, streptomycin, and nalidixic acid, with resistance rates ranging from 66.67% to 87.5%. In addition, 87.5% of the isolates were identified to be multidrug-resistant strains. Further molecular characterization indicated that all COE isolates carried the mcr-1 gene, with 16 of them also harboring blaCTX-M-55 genes. Taken together, the findings in this study demonstrate that raw beef and cow feces are important sources of COE, which can be potentially transmitted to humans through the food chain.

The object of this study was to examine nonthermal treatments to reduce foodborne pathogens in beef that is consumed raw. Foodborne illness pathogens (Escherichia coli, Salmonella, Staphylococcus aureus, and Listeria monocytogenes) were inoculated in the raw beef eye round. Death rates of foodborne illness pathogens were evaluated by nonthermal decontamination methods: high pressure processing (HPP) at 500 MPa for 2, 5, and 7 min; UV light-emitting diode (LED) radiation at 405 nm for 2, 6, and 24 h; hypochlorous acid water (HAW) at 100 ppm for 1, 3, and 5 min; 2.5% lactic acid (LA) for 1, 3, and 5 min; modified atmosphere packaging that replaced O2 to CO2 for 24 and 48 h with anaerogen (O2 levels were less than 1% and CO2 levels were 9 to 13%); and bio-gel application (BGA) for 24 and 48 h. For the bio-gel preparation, 5% sodium alginate was dissolved in 40 mL of glycerol and mixed with 0.2% CaCl2 dissolved in 60 mL of water, and this mixture was left at room temperature for solidification. Quality characteristics (color, pH, water activity, and texture) were measured after applying the practical nonthermal decontamination application. After HPP treatment for 7 min, inactivity rates were 4.4 to 6.7 Log CFU/g (100.0%) for E. coli, Salmonella, and L. monocytogenes and 1.7 Log CFU/g (98.0%) for S. aureus (P < 0.05). After treatment with UV LED for 24 h, reduced cell counts were 0.5 Log CFU/g (67.3%), 0.7 Log CFU/g (82.2%), and 0.3 Log CFU/g (47.1%) for E. coli, Salmonella, and S. aureus, respectively (P < 0.05), but no significant reduction of 0.0 Log CFU/g (4.3%) was observed for L. monocytogenes. When the beef was treated with HAW for 5 min, 0.6 Log CFU/g (73.3%) of E. coli, 0.5 Log CFU/g (66.2%) of Salmonella, 0.4 Log CFU/g (60.7%) of S. aureus, and 0.5 Log CFU/g (65.6%) of L. monocytogenes were inactivated. After the beef was treated with LA for 5 min, 1.8 Log CFU/g (98.5%) of E. coli, 3.0 Log CFU/g (99.9%) of Salmonella, 1.3 Log CFU/g (95.4%) of S. aureus, and 1.9 Log CFU/g (98.6%) of L. monocytogenes were inactivated. Modified atmosphere packaging for 48 h caused the inactivation of 0.3 Log CFU/g (51.8%) of E. coli and 0.1 Log CFU/g (19.2%) of Salmonella. After BGA treatment for 48 h, 0.3 Log CFU/g (55.2%) of E. coli and 0.4 Log CFU/g (58.7%) of Salmonella were significantly decreased (P < 0.05). HPP cooked the beef after 2 min of treatment. HAW and BGA changed the surface color of the beef, and LA reduced the pH of beef (P < 0.05). However, UV LED did not cause changes in the beef quality properties. These results indicates that UV LED can improve the food safety of raw beef without changes in beef quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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In the present study, growth potential of Listeria monocytogenes in steak tartare samples taken at retail and belonging to 13 brands marketed in Northern Italy was investigated. The samples were submitted to microbiological and chemical-physical characterization. The data obtained were used as inputs for the application of the predictive microbiology software FSSP that allows the estimation of the growth of L. monocytogenes during the shelf-life. Lactic acid bacteria, the main component of the microflora, gave variable counts among the brands (from 3.38 to 6.24 log CFU/g). pH and a w values were always higher than 5.3 and 0.96, respectively, thus they could not be considered as single efficient hurdles to prevent the growth of L. monocytogenes according to the EC Reg. 2073/2005; the same was observed for salt content (constantly <2 %) and nitrites (not quantifiable in all the samples, even if declared in some labels). Nevertheless, the combination of all the hurdles, evaluated by predictive microbiology using critical development factors, resulted in an estimated growth <0.5 log CFU/g throughout the shelf life; this output allowed us to consider all the steak tartare analysed as unfavourable substrate for L. monocytogenes growth. The information obtained could be useful for tartare producers as well as for competent authority to evaluate the effective risk concerning these typology of products., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2024 The Authors.)

The enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) group is responsible for outbreaks and sporadic cases around the world annually. EHEC produces a potent protein known as Shiga toxin in the human intestine causing mild to bloody diarrhea. Some cases of EHEC infections may develop life-threatening symptoms, which may lead to human death. It also has other virulent factors that enable the EHEC cells to adhere to a target tissue and invade to some extent to crave more nutrition and escape the external extreme conditions, such as disinfection treatment. For those reasons, beef is not permitted for raw consumption unless guaranteed free of harmful bacteria, including EHEC, or the invading bacterial cells are completely removed or reduced to a safe level. A heat treatment that guarantees a sufficiently high temperature to reach inside the tissue of meat through the surface was established in Japan. This treatment may allow the core part of the meat to be consumed raw. However, it seemed to have some limitations. We aimed at developing a disinfection method with, hypothetically, nutrition-preserving property that is equivalent to the heat treatment or even superior. A combination of calcium hydroxide–ethanol–lactate-based food disinfectant and two proposed physical sterilization methods, assisted with microbial detection methods, exerted sufficient bactericidal activities against EHEC cells adhering to and/or invading the beef. These physical methods showed great usefulness in disinfecting fresh full-size boneless Round-beef of around 12 kg including fat on the outside. The first method applied a commercially available wide-drum washing machine (WM method) while the second method applied a specially designed plastic bag and a commercially available vibration machine (VV method). After trimming out the fat and the denatured surface of the beef (1 cm from the surface), the remaining meat mass showed no signs of denaturation and a significant reduction of viable EHEC cells by a factor of >104 CFU/ml. However, in the WM method, the disinfection process required a large amount of the disinfectant (150 L). The improved method, VV method, implemented a system that consumes a smaller amount of the disinfectant (50 L) while ensuring the targeted disinfection power degree.

The enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) group is responsible for outbreaks and sporadic cases around the world annually. EHEC produces a potent protein known as Shiga toxin in the human intestine causing mild to bloody diarrhea. Some cases of EHEC infections may develop life-threatening symptoms, which may lead to human death. It also has other virulent factors that enable the EHEC cells to adhere to a target tissue and invade to some extent to crave more nutrition and escape the external extreme conditions, such as disinfection treatment. For those reasons, beef is not permitted for raw consumption unless guaranteed free of harmful bacteria, including EHEC, or the invading bacterial cells are completely removed or reduced to a safe level. A heat treatment that guarantees a sufficiently high temperature to reach inside the tissue of meat through the surface was established in Japan. This treatment may allow the core part of the meat to be consumed raw. However, it seemed to have some limitations. We aimed at developing a disinfection method with, hypothetically, nutrition-preserving property that is equivalent to the heat treatment or even superior. A combination of calcium hydroxide–ethanol–lactate-based food disinfectant and two proposed physical sterilization methods, assisted with microbial detection methods, exerted sufficient bactericidal activities against EHEC cells adhering to and/or invading the beef. These physical methods showed great usefulness in disinfecting fresh full-size boneless Round-beef of around 12 kg including fat on the outside. The first method applied a commercially available wide-drum washing machine (WM method) while the second method applied a specially designed plastic bag and a commercially available vibration machine (VV method). After trimming out the fat and the denatured surface of the beef (1 cm from the surface), the remaining meat mass showed no signs of denaturation and a significant reduction of viable EHEC cells by a factor of >104 CFU/ml. However, in the WM method, the disinfection process required a large amount of the disinfectant (150 L). The improved method, VV method, implemented a system that consumes a smaller amount of the disinfectant (50 L) while ensuring the targeted disinfection power degree. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, 25 cuts of shank form adult cattle coming from the same slaughtering batch, were withdrawn just after manual sectioning/deboning, and each divided into two pieces (Prox and Dist) of approximately the same weight, that were vacuum packaged by using two different packaging systems: vacuum chamber machine with a bag material and a thermoforming packaging machine with top and bottom webs named BAG and THF respectively. The packed cuts were stored at 2-3°C for 20 days. The drip loss was calculated at the end of the storage as the difference between drained weight and net. Internal muscle pH and pH of the exudate present in the package and microbiological analyses (by pooling the samples) were performed at T0 and at the end of the storage. The drip loss, was significantly lower with BAG packaging: this difference was evident after 20 days of storage (average ± STD BAG vs THF = 1.04±0.36% vs 1.71±0.42%; P<0.01). The values were, in general, low for both the packaging systems, never above 2%. Moreover, shrink bag packages are characterized by better overall pack appearance and less plastic weight per pack. Forming step reduce the thickness of thermoforming material lowering the mechanical resistance and the barrier to oxygen, on the contrary after shrinking bag materials are thickened. The pH of muscles was stable, although a slight increase was evidenced after 20 (average ± STD BAG vs THF= 5.73±0.05 vs 5.78±0.09; P<0.01), due to the ageing of meat. The pH of the exudate was equal at T20 (average ± STD BAG vs THF = 5.34±0.20 vs 5.33±0.17). The drip loss didn't influence the development of all the microflora; in particular LAB, that represented the main microbial population, showed a gradual increase from T0 (2.20±0.41 Log CFU/g) to T20 (average ± STD BAG vs THF= 4.76±0.29 Log CFU/g vs 4.75±0.0.15 Log CFU/g). Enterobacteriaceae showed an increase, if compared to the initial counts, due to the prolonged storage and the gradual growth of ephemeral microorganisms, without differences among the two series (Enterobacteriaceae: T0=<1.7 Log CFU/g to T20 average ± STD BAG vs THF = 2.83±0.77 Log CFU/g vs 3.09±0.0.70 Log CFU/g). In conclusion, the use of the BAG system demonstrated to have an effect in reducing the drip loss of beef cuts during the refrigerated storage, with only slight influence on the other characteristics of raw meat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The volatile profile of raw beef contains vital information related to meat quality and freshness. This qualitative study examines the effect of packaging system on the formation and release of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from raw beef over time, relative to the packaging best before date (BBD). The three packaging systems investigated were modified atmospheric packaging, vacuum packaging, and cling-wrapped packaging. Porterhouse steak samples with the same BBD were analysed from 3 days before to 3 days after the BBD. VOCs were detected via preconcentration using solid-phase microextraction combined with gas chromatography–accurate mass quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry. In total, 35 different VOCs were tentatively identified. Interestingly, there was no clear relationship of the VOCs detected between the three packaging systems, with only carbon disulphide and acetoin, both known volatiles of beef, detected in all three. This is the first study to investigate the effects of commercial packaging systems on VOC formation; it provides an understanding of the relationship of VOCs to the BBD that is essential for the development of on-pack freshness and quality sensors.

The presence of antibiotic residues in beef is considered a serious threat to public health. This study aimed to detect antibiotic residues in raw beef and the impact of low and high temperature treatments on residues persistence. A total of 250 sampleswere collected from retail markets in Erbil city (Iraq) and analyzed microbiologically in plates pre-inoculated with Bacillus subtilis. The overall occurrence of antibiotics residues was (10.8%).The highest rate was detected in January (16.7%). Cooking for thirty minutes completely deactivate antibiotic residues against the challenged bacterium. In conclusion, the presence of antibiotic residues in beef samples in Erbil city was high and their persistence is markedly reduced by cooking.

Staphylococcus aureus is among the important pathogens contributing to foodborne illnesses. They easily cross contaminate foods from hands that comes in contact with the nose and mouth. They cause endocarditis, boils, impetigo, cellulitis and scalded skin. This study was carried out to determine the prevalence and antibiotic susceptibility of Staphylococcus aureus isolated from raw and grilled beef sold in Nyankpala, Northern Region of Ghana. Isolation of Staphylococcus aureus was done according to the USA-FDA Bacteriological Analytical Manual. Antibiotic susceptibility test was performed using the disc diffusion method and the results interpreted using the CLSI guidelines. A total of 54 beef samples made up of 18 raw beef samples(T1), 18 grilled beef samples tested immediately after grilling (T2) and 18 grilled beef samples tested 1 h 30 min after grilling (T3) were examined. Overall, 16.67% (9) were positive for Staphylococcus aureus. Staphylococcus aureus were isolated from grilled beef immediately (T2) after grilling (33.33%) and 1 h 30 min (T3) after grilling (16.67%). They were not isolated from raw beef samples (T1). Aerobic plate count was highest in T1 (3.59 log cfu/g), followed by T2 (2.94 log cfu/g) and T3 (2.83 log cfu/g). Out of 18 positive samples, 85.19% were susceptible, 14.81% were intermediate resistant and none was resistant. Staphylococcus aureus were all (100%) susceptible to amoxicillin, chloramphenicol, ciprofloxacin, ceftriaxone, gentamicin, and sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim. This study revealed that Staphylococcus aureus are present in grilled beef rather than the fresh samples examined. In conclusion, Staphylococcus aureus contamination mostly occurred after processing and were susceptible to most antibiotics.

Staphylococcus aureus is among the important pathogens contributing to foodborne illnesses. They easily cross contaminate foods from hands that comes in contact with the nose and mouth. They cause endocarditis, boils, impetigo, cellulitis and scalded skin. This study was carried out to determine the prevalence and antibiotic susceptibility of Staphylococcus aureus isolated from raw and grilled beef sold in Nyankpala, Northern Region of Ghana. Isolation of Staphylococcus aureus was done according to the USA-FDA Bacteriological Analytical Manual. Antibiotic susceptibility test was performed using the disc diffusion method and the results interpreted using the CLSI guidelines. A total of 54 beef samples made up of 18 raw beef samples(T1), 18 grilled beef samples tested immediately after grilling (T2) and 18 grilled beef samples tested 1 h 30 min after grilling (T3) were examined. Overall, 16.67% (9) were positive for Staphylococcus aureus. Staphylococcus aureus were isolated from grilled beef immediately (T2) after grilling (33.33%) and 1 h 30 min (T3) after grilling (16.67%). They were not isolated from raw beef samples (T1). Aerobic plate count was highest in T1 (3.59 log cfu/g), followed by T2 (2.94 log cfu/g) and T3 (2.83 log cfu/g). Out of 18 positive samples, 85.19% were susceptible, 14.81% were intermediate resistant and none was resistant. Staphylococcus aureus were all (100%) susceptible to amoxicillin, chloramphenicol, ciprofloxacin, ceftriaxone, gentamicin, and sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim. This study revealed that Staphylococcus aureus are present in grilled beef rather than the fresh samples examined. In conclusion, Staphylococcus aureus contamination mostly occurred after processing and were susceptible to most antibiotics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the present study was to estimate the prevalence of Salmonella and investigate the dominant serovars distribution in raw beef and to screen the isolated serovars for the prescense of beta-lactamases and virulence genes. A total of 150 samples of raw beef sold at butcher shops (n = 75) and supermarkets (n = 75) in Karachi city were collected (50 samples each from muscles, lymph nodes, and minced beef). The samples were cultured according to the ISO-6579-1guidlines. The overall prevalence of Salmonella strains was found to be 21.34%. A total of 56 isolates of Salmonella belonging to four serogroups (Salmonella Pullorum, Salmonella Enteritidis, Salmonella Typhimurium and Salmonella Choleraesuis) were isolated from beef muscles (12%), lymph nodes (24%) and minced beef (28%) samples collected from butcher shops (av. 21.34%). No Salmonella was detected in beef samples collected from supermarkets. S. Enteritidis contamination was highest (37.5%), followed by S. Choleraesuis (30.4%), S. Pullorum (19.6%) and S. Typhimurium (12.5 %). Antibiotic susceptibility testing revealed that Salmonella isolates were highly resistant to Oxytetracycline (90%), Ampicillin (90.5%), Amoxicillin (81.1%), Tetracycline (76%), Neomycin, (79.8%) and Ciprofloxacin (61.4%). The Salmonella isolates examined were more susceptible to the Cephalosporin antibiotics such as Cefixime (43.2%), Cefepime (48.2) and Cefoxitin (49.8%). PCR based screening of blaTEM, blaCTX-M and blaSHV revealed that blaCTX-M and blaTEM were the dominant resistant genes in S. Enteritidis and S. Typhimurium followed by S. Pullorum and S. Choleraesuis whereas blaSHV was the least detected beta-lactamase in Salmonella isolates. Virulence genes screening revealed that at least five genes were present in all the serovars, highest being present in S. Enteritidis (12/17) and S. Typhimurium (12/17). S. Cholerasuis (5/17) carried the least number of virulence genes followed by S. Pullorum (6/17). The present data suggest that beef samples from butcher shops of Karachi city are heavily contaminated with MDR Salmonella. The presence of resistance and virulence genes in MDR strains of Salmonella may play a significant role in transmission and development of Salmonella infection in humans.

Salmonella is one of the major foodborne pathogens worldwide. The antimicrobial resistance (AMR) of this foodborne pathogen has raised a great concern in recent years. Studies on the frequency and characterization of Salmonella serotypes can help to improve our knowledge on the epidemiology of this pathogen. The purpose of this study was to compare the serotypes, AMR and genetic profiles of Salmonella isolates recovered from raw beef throughout the beef production chain and from human feces associated with clinical cases of salmonellosis. The serotype, AMR and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis profile of 243 Salmonella enterica isolates recovered from beef carcasses (n = 78), ground beef (n = 135), and human feces from clinical cases of salmonellosis (n = 30) were compared. Forty-three different Salmonella serotypes were identified and regardless of the source, the top five corresponded to Typhimurium, Give, Group B (partially serotyped), Infantis and Anatum. Twelve serotypes from beef carcasses were also found in ground beef, showing their presence throughout the beef production chain. Salmonella Typhimurium, Infantis, Anatum and Montevideo were the only serotypes identified in all sample types. Resistance to tetracyclines was the most frequent (41.2%) followed by resistance to aminoglycosides (37%), folate pathway inhibitors (21%), quinolones (20.2%), phenicols (17.1%), penicillins (15.6%) and cephems (7%). Multidrug resistance was observed in 28.8% of the isolates, and those from human feces showed resistance to a larger number of antimicrobials. Great concern arises from the resistance and reduced susceptibility observed to quinolones and cephalosporins because these drugs are the first line of treatment for invasive Salmonella infections. Twenty-seven distinct pulse-types were detected among 238 isolates. Clustering analysis for the most frequent serotypes identified groups of isolates with similar AMR profiles. Multidrug resistance spreading throughout the food production chain should be continually monitored and its importance emphasized.

Salmonella is one of the major foodborne pathogens worldwide. The antimicrobial resistance (AMR) of this foodborne pathogen has raised a great concern in recent years. Studies on the frequency and characterization of Salmonella serotypes can help to improve our knowledge on the epidemiology of this pathogen. The purpose of this study was to compare the serotypes, AMR and genetic profiles of Salmonella isolates recovered from raw beef throughout the beef production chain and from human feces associated with clinical cases of salmonellosis. The serotype, AMR and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis profile of 243 Salmonella enterica isolates recovered from beef carcasses (nD78), ground beef (nD135), and human feces from clinical cases of salmonellosis (nD30) were compared. Forty-three different Salmonella serotypes were identified and regardless of the source, the top five corresponded to Typhimurium, Give, Group B (partially serotyped), Infantis and Anatum. Twelve serotypes from beef carcasses were also found in ground beef, showing their presence throughout the beef production chain. Salmonella Typhimurium, Infantis, Anatum and Montevideo were the only serotypes identified in all sample types. Resistance to tetracyclines was the most frequent (41.2%) followed by resistance to aminoglycosides (37%), folate pathway inhibitors (21%), quinolones (20.2%), phenicols (17.1%), penicillins (15.6%) and cephems (7%). Multidrug resistance was observed in 28.8% of the isolates, and those from human feces showed resistance to a larger number of antimicrobials. Great concern arises from the resistance and reduced susceptibility observed to quinolones and cephalosporins because these drugs are the first line of treatment for invasive Salmonella infections. Twenty-seven distinct pulse-types were detected among 238 isolates. Clustering analysis for the most frequent serotypes identified groups of isolates with similar AMR profiles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, the level of microbial contamination of pork and beef meat for processing of heat-untreated fermented meat products was monitored. In company providing samples for this work, meat was kept frozen for period of 6 days (144 hours), which was not effective due to the financialy expensive frozing storages. The relationship between meat freezing period and number of selected technological as well as hygienical significant microorganisms was monitored, with the aim to optimize frozing period to keep microbial quality of meat and meat products. Microbiological analysis of meat samples was performed before freezing of meat and after 48, 72, 96, 120 and 144 hours of freezing. Furthermore, the analysis was carried out after 7 and 21 days of meat products storing period. Total number of microorganisms, total number of psychrotrophic microorganisms, yeast and fungi, co­li­forms, bacteria of the genus Enterococcus and bacteria of the family Enterobacteriaceae were detected. As from results, sufficient period for meat freezing was 72 hours. After this period total count of microorganisms as well as bacteria of the family Enterobacteriaceae, coliforms bacteria and bacteria of the genus Enterococcus reached the level, which at next freezing was not influenced. Number of psychrotrophic microorganisms were growing by next prolonging of freezing period, above 72 hours. Numbers of yeast and moulds became almost unchanged during the whole freezing period.

The aim of this study was to determine the microbial contamination of raw pork and beef, to estimate the prevalence of enterococci and investigate the antibiotic multiple resistance of enterococci. Total bacterial counts (TBC) were cultured on Plate count agar and enterococci count were cultured on Sla­netz – Bartley agar. The TBC after 24 h post mortem reached the value 3.61 ± 0.78 log cfu . cm−2 for pork and 2.58 ± 0.63 log cfu . cm−2 for beef. The count of enterococci after 24 h post mortem reached the va­lue 1.98 ± 1.29 log cfu . cm−2 for pork and 1.16 ± 0.47 log cfu . cm−2 for beef. The average value of TBC in pork and beef were significantly (P < 0.05) higher after 7 days of ripening at 4 °C storage than 24 h post mortem and in pork and beef reached the value 4.69 ± 1.46 log cfu . cm−2 and 4.32 ± 1.44 log cfu . cm−2 resp. The ave­rage values of enterococci count after 7 days of ripening in pork and beef were 2.00 ± 1.27 log cfu . cm−2 and 0.84 ± 0.80 log cfu . cm−2 resp. Susceptibilities of isolated enterococci from pork to antimicrobial agents were tested using the disc diffusion method. Enterococcus faecium was the predominat species out of 50 isolates recovered from pork (72%), followed by E. faecalis (10%). Other enterococcal isolates were identified sporadically (E. mundtti–8%, E. spp.–10%). Out of 50 isolates of enterococci 14% were resistant to vancomycin and 10% were resistant to erythromycin, 18% to ampicillin, 24% to gentamicin and 34% to tetracycline. The calculated antibiotic code profiles indicated that large proportion of enterococci were resistant to all tested antibiotics except vancomycin. Our study suggests that raw pork and beef play a potential role as reservoirs of enterococci multiresistant to antibiotics.

Aim: To investigate the effect of corn starch (CS) edible films with spice oils on the stability of raw beef during refrigerated storage. Methods and Results: The antimicrobial properties of corn starch films containing 0-4.0% (w/v) ratios of clove (CL) and cinnamon (CI) essential oils (EOs) were tested against seven meat spoilage organisms by zone inhibition test. Effects of CS films containing 3% CL or CI or a mixture of CL + CI were also tested in raw beef stored at 4°C. Meat samples were analysed for pH, microbial counts, colour values and Thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) values for a period of 15 days. CS films with CL + CI resulted in a significant reduction in microbial populations in the meat samples and also improved meat colour stability at the end of storage period. Conclusions: The incorporation of spice EOs in CS films may provide antimicrobial and antioxidant activities that could improve the stability of raw meat. Significance and Impact of the Study: Results from this study may be applied in meat industries as an additional barrier to control microbial spoilage as well as lipid oxidation in meat products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graph: Figure 5 Showing the positions where the spray method with calcium hydroxide-ethanol-lactate (CEL) disinfectant was applied on the beef leg. Corrigendum: Development and Improvement of Methods to Disinfect Raw Beef Using Calcium Hydroxide-Ethanol-Lactate-Based Food Disinfectant for Safe Consumption Keywords: raw beef; disinfection; method; enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli; Salmonella; calcium hydroxide-ethanol-lactate (CEL) disinfectant; detection; loop-mediated isothermal amplification EN raw beef disinfection method enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli Salmonella calcium hydroxide-ethanol-lactate (CEL) disinfectant detection loop-mediated isothermal amplification 1 2 2 11/12/21 20211109 NES 211109 In the original article, there were several errors. [Extracted from the article]

The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of nutmeg (Myristica fragrans Houtt.) extract at different concentrations on chemical characteristics of raw beef under frozen storage. Nutmeg extracts at concentrations of 0.25%, 0.65%, 1.25%, 2.50% and 5.00% (g/ml) were used to treat raw beef (2.5 x 2.5 x 1.0 cm; 4 ± 0.5 g) with dilution method. Treated samples were then individually packed in overwrapped trays and stored for 3 weeks at -18 ± 1oC. The effects of the extract on the chemical characteristics such as lipid oxidation, colour, pH, moisture, fat, and protein content of raw beef were evaluated at 0, 4, 7, 10, 14 and 21 days of storage. Lipid oxidation was evaluated based on thiobarbituric acid-reactive substance (TBARS) content. Colour of beef was observed by spectrophotometer in colorimetic parameters CIELabs. Values of pH were measured using pH meter. Moisture, fat and protein content were determined using method by Analysis Association of Official Analytical Chemists (AOAC). The result showed that extract at concentration of 1.25% inhibited TBARS value meaning that extract of 1.25% or more was able to maintain the oxidative stability of beef at -18oC. A 1.25% of extract was also able to maintain the redness (a*) of treated beef compared to untreated during frozen storage. The pH values of all samples beef decreased starting from 10th day of storage. Untreated samples (0.00%) showed the lowest pH values compared to other treated samples at the end day of storage. There was no significant different in term of protein content in all treated or untreated samples. However, fat and moisture content were significantly affected by the concentration of nutmeg extract. Treated beef was able to retain its moisture with only loss of moisture ranging from 0.2% - 2.00% while untreated samples had 5.00% loss of moisture. The fat content of untreated samples (0.00%) showed a reduction of 0.2% of fat content at the end of storage compared to all treated sample with only loss of 0.1% - 0.05%. Overall, nutmeg extract can be used to maintain the chemical characteristics of raw beef during storage for 3 weeks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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