Detection of thermophilic Campylobacter and other quality indicator microorganisms in chicken for export

Abstract

Food of animal origin, especially chicken, represents a factor strongly connected to the epidemiology of foodborne diseases. The poultry industry implements biosecurity measures and control to eliminate microorganisms. However, although useful, they are insufficient to eliminate all pathogens of the final product. The aim of this study was to assess the microbiological quality of portions of chicken for export through the study of the prevalence of bacteria that act as etiological agents of diseases caused by products of chicken. The thermophilic Campylobacter are microorganisms of great importance regarding food security due to its high prevalence and action as the major cause of gastroenteritis in humans – their positivity rate in this study was 6.5%. Other quality indicators microorganisms also showed at odds with existing rules and regulations, such as: Salmonella sp. (2.2%), Listeria sp. (29.4%) and counting of mesophilic aerobic bacteria (4.3%). However, the counts of total coliform, thermotolerant coliform, Escherichia coli and coagulase-positive Staphylococcus confirmed to be within the limits established standards. Therefore, 16.4% from the 61 surveyed samples were unacceptable for human consumption. These values, although low, show themselves as a potential risk to the health of consumers.