ABSTRACT
Birds, including canaries and other birds, have become increasingly popular as pets. Bird fairs, where breeders gather and show their production in a championship setting, present a setting for possible Salmonella spp. contamination and transmission. Therefore, this study estimated the rate of Salmonella spp. isolation from cage papers, located in the bottom of cages of exotic pet birds, including canaries. Collected Salmonella isolates were used to determine the antimicrobial resistance profile to 52 antibiotics and 17 commercial disinfectants, based on pure or a mixture of acids, alcohols, aldehydes, alkalis, halogens, peroxygen, and quaternary ammonium compounds. The samples consisted of 774 cage papers taken in the 2015 Argentinean canary breeder championship, pooling three cage papers into one sterile sampling bag. Only one pool of the cage papers was positive for Salmonella spp. (0.4%), which belonged to the sample from three frill canary cages. Two strains of Salmonella serotype Glostrup were isolated, which were only resistant to sulfonamides and erythromycin and sensitive to alkali-based product PL301 AS. Although the rate of Salmonella spp. isolation from cage papers in an Argentinean canary breeder championship is low, it should not be discounted because Salmonella ser. Glostrup can be a source of human Salmonella outbreaks and they show high resistance to disinfecting products.
ABSTRACT
Los sulfitos son aditivos que se utilizan como conservantes y antioxidantes en ciertos alimentos. De acuerdo a lo establecido en el Código Alimentario Argentino, no está permitido su uso en carnes crudas debido a que enmascara el verdadero estado de conservación y, al descomponer la vitamina B1, disminuye su valor nutricional. Por ello, el objetivo de este trabajo fue detectar cualitativamente la presencia de agentes sulfitantes en productos cárnicos frescos de carnicerías de diferentes localidades de la provincia de Santa Fe, con el fin de fiscalizar el uso de este aditivo. Las muestras fueron tomadas a granel y recibidas en el laboratorio de la Agencia Santafesina de Seguridad Alimentaria a temperatura de refrigeración. En el período comprendido entre los años 2011 y 2018, ingresaron un total de 1071 muestras de carnes y preparados de carnes frescas, de las cuales 532 fueron de carne picada, 357 de chorizo fresco, 149 de hamburguesa y 33 de albóndiga. En primer lugar, se realizó un screening con la técnica del verde de malaquita (AOAC 961.09) y, con fines confirmatorios, las muestras que resultaron positivas fueron analizadas cualitativamente con el método de Monier-Williams optimizado (AOAC 990.28). El estudio integral demostró que 28 muestras de carne picada (5,3 %), 59 de chorizo fresco (16,0 %), 25 de hamburguesa (16,7 %) y 2 de albóndiga (6,1 %) contenían este aditivo. En conclusión, según los datos obtenidos, el principal uso de las sales de sulfitos en algunas industrias cárnicas se dio en la elaboración de chorizos frescos y hamburguesas; por ello, el control de estos alimentos es una tarea fundamental para los entes fiscalizadores.
Sulfites are additives that are used as preservatives and antioxidants in certain foods. According to the Argentine Food Code (CAA), their use is not allowed in raw meats because it masks the true state of preservation and diminishes their nutritional value by breaking down vitamin B1. Therefore, the objective of this work was to qualitatively detect the presence of sulfiting agents in fresh meat products from butcher shops in different locations in the province of Santa Fe, in order to control the use of this additive. The samples were taken in bulk and received in the laboratory of the Santa Fe Food Safety Agency (ASSAl) at refrigeration temperature. Between 2011 and 2018, a total of 1,071 samples of meat and fresh meat products were submitted, including minced meat (532), fresh sausages (357), hamburgers (149), and meatballs (33). First, a screening was conducted with the malachite green technique (AOAC 961.09), and for confirmatory purposes, the samples that tested positive were qualitatively analyzed using the optimized Monier-Williams method (AOAC 990.28). The comprehensive study showed that 28 samples of minced meat (5.3 %), 59 samples of fresh sausage (16.0 %), 25 samples of hamburger (16.7 %), and 2 samples of meatballs (6.1 %) contained this additive. In conclusion, based on the data obtained, the main use of sulfite salts in some meat industries was found in the production of fresh sausages and hamburgers; hence, the control of these foods is a crucial task for regulatory authorities.
Subject(s)
Argentina , Sulfites , Food Additives , MeatABSTRACT
The present work compared 7 different culture methods and 3 selective-differential plating media for Salmonella ser. Enteritidis (SE) and S. ser. Typhimurium (ST) isolation using artificially contaminated poultry feces. The sensitivity (Se) and accuracy (AC) values increased when Modified Semisolid Rappaport Vassiliadis (MSRV) methods were used in place of the Tetrathionate (TT) or Tetrathionate Hajna broth (TTH) method in the enrichment step. However, there was no significant difference between the pre-enrichment incubation at 4 to 6 and 18 to 24 h for MSRV5 and MSRV24 methods, respectively. All Salmonella strains were recovered in the lowest dilutions tested for MSRV24 and 3 out of 4 for MSRV5 methods (2 to 10 cfu/25 g). The TT and TTH methods showed a detection limit between 2.2 × 101 and 1.0 × 106 cfu/25 g of fecal sample. The agreement was variable between the methods. However, there was a very good agreement between the MSRV5 and MSRV24 methods, and between tetrathionate direct (TTD, no pre-enrichment media used) and buffered peptone water 18 to 24 h Tetrathionate broth combination (TT24 method) for Salmonella strains. The 3 selective-differential plating media showed an agreement between fair and excellent. They performed a high Se and AC in the MSRV methods for Salmonella strains. There was a significant difference between center and periphery for MSRV methods, and there was a fair agreement between them for all strains. The MSRV methods are better than TT/TTH methods for the isolation of different strains of SE and ST in poultry fecal samples. The MSRV5 method can be used to reduce the time for the detection of SE and ST in these samples. Furthermore, a loopful of the periphery of the growth should be streaked onto differential-selective plating media, even in the absence of halo, to decrease the number of false negative results.
