FEASIBILITY OF USING MICROBIOLOGICAL INDICATOR ASSAYS TO DETECT TEMPERATURE ABUSE IN REFRIGERATED MEAT, POULTRY, AND SEAFOOD PRODUCTS

The feasibility of using commonly employed microbiological indicator tests to determine if a product has been temperature abused was evaluated in raw and ready-to-eat meat, poultry, and seafood products. Twelve retail products were purchased, subdivided into three subsamples, and stored at 5 °C (adequate refrigeration), 12 °C (moderate abuse), and 19 °C (gross abuse). They were periodically sampled for aerobic plate counts (plates incubated at 28, 37, and 42 °C), presumptive coliforms, confirmed coliforms, thermal tolerant coliforms, Escherichia coli, and Staphylococcus aureus. No single indicator test was effective in all of the foods examined, but different assays were able to differentiate temperature abused versus adequately refrigerated samples in a number of the products. The results suggest that the characterization of how different microbiological indicators respond to storage temperatures in various products may be an approach for developing more effective microbiological criteria for refrigerated foods of animal origin. © 1992 Academic Press Limited.