Hygienic quality of pre-packed ready-to-serve salads in 1995

Total microbial counts as well as counts of enterobacteria, pseudomonads, lactic acid bacteria, yeasts and moulds were determined in 20 samples of pre-packed ready-to-serve salads which had been obtained from local retail stores or directly from the producers. The presence of listeria was checked in ten samples. Total viable counts ranged from 3 x 10(5) to 2 x 10(8) cfu/g initially. In 10 % of the samples counts exceeded the recommended DGHM upper value on the day of purchase. Only 20 % of the samples remained below the DGHM limit within the indicated shelf-life period. Among the total counts, enterobacteria and pseudomonads (together up to 93 %) prevailed. In three out of ten samples checked for Listeria sop. L. monocytogenes and in one sample L. grayi have been found. These results show that fresh pre-packed ready-to-serve salads, especially when they contain perishable ingredients such as sprouts or surimi, may constitute a health risk. Storage tests confirmed the necessity of strictly maintaining the cold chain (< 10 degrees C) from producers to consumers.