ABSTRACT
The detection and identification of Salmonella spp. is still troublesome and time consuming to the food industry. Employing the modified semi-solid Rappaport-Vassiliadis medium (MSRV), presumptive results for Salmonella can be obtained in 48 h, representing an interesting alternative to the standard methods. The specificity and sensitivity of the MSRV method were evaluated in this research. The efficiency of this method was also compared with the methodology recommended by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) using bismuth sulfite agar, XLT4 agar and Rambach agar. A total of 146 food samples comprised of 41 chicken thighs, 35 Brazilian fresh pork sausages, 35 samples of cocoa powder and/or granulated cocoa and 35 samples of grated fresh coconut, were examined. Overall, the rapid method (direct + indirect) and the standard culture detected 96.1% and 84.6% of the positive samples, respectively. No Salmonella was detected in the coconut or cocoa samples by any of the methods. Eighteen (43.9%) chicken thigh samples were contaminated with the microorganism. The rapid method (direct + indirect) and the standard culture detected 94.4% and 88.9% of these, respectively. Salmonella was detected in eight (22.8%) fresh pork sausage samples. The MSRV method detected Salmonella in all eight samples, while the standard gave positive results in six (75%). When compared with the standard method, the indirect method showed 86.4% sensitivity and 96.8% specificity, while the direct MSRV showed a sensitivity of 71.4% and specificity of 99.2%. Combined, both MSRV methods showed 95.5% sensitivity and 96.8% specificity. The MSRV medium also reduces the time necessary for the isolation of Salmonella from foods.
