Sirsat Sujata A, Kim Kawon, Gibson Kristen E, Crandall Phillip G, Ricke Steven C, Neal Jack A
Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management, University of Houston;
Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management, University of Houston.
J Vis Exp. 2014 Mar 5(85):51402. doi: 10.3791/51402.
Cross contamination of foodborne pathogens in the retail environment is a significant public health issue contributing to an increased risk for foodborne illness. Ready-to-eat (RTE) processed foods such as deli meats, cheese, and in some cases fresh produce, have been involved in foodborne disease outbreaks due to contamination with pathogens such as Listeria monocytogenes. With respect to L. monocytogenes, deli slicers are often the main source of cross contamination. The goal of this study was to use a fluorescent compound to simulate bacterial contamination and track this contamination in a retail setting. A mock deli kitchen was designed to simulate the retail environment. Deli meat was inoculated with the fluorescent compound and volunteers were recruited to complete a set of tasks similar to those expected of a food retail employee. The volunteers were instructed to slice, package, and store the meat in a deli refrigerator. The potential cross contamination was tracked in the mock retail environment by swabbing specific areas and measuring the optical density of the swabbed area with a spectrophotometer. The results indicated that the refrigerator (i.e. deli case) grip and various areas on the slicer had the highest risk for cross contamination. The results of this study may be used to develop more focused training material for retail employees. In addition, similar methodologies could also be used to track microbial contamination in food production environments (e.g. small farms), hospitals, nursing homes, cruise ships, and hotels.
零售环境中食源性病原体的交叉污染是一个重大的公共卫生问题，会增加食源性疾病的风险。即食（RTE）加工食品，如熟食肉类、奶酪，以及在某些情况下的新鲜农产品，曾因受到诸如单核细胞增生李斯特菌等病原体的污染而引发食源性疾病暴发。就单核细胞增生李斯特菌而言，熟食切片机往往是交叉污染的主要源头。本研究的目的是使用一种荧光化合物来模拟细菌污染，并在零售环境中追踪这种污染情况。设计了一个模拟熟食厨房来模拟零售环境。将荧光化合物接种到熟食肉类上，并招募志愿者完成一系列与食品零售员工预期任务类似的任务。指导志愿者在熟食店冰箱中对肉类进行切片、包装和储存。通过擦拭特定区域并用分光光度计测量擦拭区域的光密度，在模拟零售环境中追踪潜在的交叉污染情况。结果表明，冰箱（即熟食柜）把手和切片机上的各个区域交叉污染风险最高。本研究结果可用于为零售员工开发更有针对性的培训材料。此外，类似的方法也可用于追踪食品生产环境（如小型农场）、医院、疗养院、游轮和酒店中的微生物污染情况。
