[Salmonella spp. prevalence and contamination risk factors in broiler and broiler meat of Gallus gallus in Germany and the European Union]. / Prävalenz und Kontaminationsrisikofaktoren für Salmonella spp. in Hähnchen und Hähnchenfleisch in Deutschland und der Europäischen Union.

In order to reduce the prevalence of the Salmonella enterica serovars Typhimurium and Enteritidis as a main causative agent of human salmonellosis originating from poultry flocks and products, the EU regulations 2160/2003 and 2073/2005 and the German Hühner-Salmonellen-Verordnung were established ten years ago. A literature review shows that this aim could be reached to a large extend in many areas of the food production chain, e.g. in breeding and husbandry facilities in most EU member states including Germany. Nevertheless some exceptions exist, and there are other S. enterica serovars which have a human pathogenic potential comparable to S. Typhimurium and S. Enteritidis. Furthermore recent publications show, that especially processes in transport and slaughter of poultry can prevent successful husbandry sanitation measures. Especially in these areas a reasonable potential for hygiene improvements still exists. Based on the prevalence data obtained between 1996 and 2011 this review summarizes recent knowledge concerning possible risks of Salmonella cross contamination and suggests potential starting points for their mitigation.

Monitoring hygiene on- and at-line is critical for controlling Listeria monocytogenes during produce processing.

The prevalence of Listeria monocytogenes in different types of produce and on processing plant environments was investigated over a 4-year period in a large produce processing plant in Poland. Prevalence of L. monocytogenes was 46% in frozen vegetables and 41.3% in swab samples taken from the plant environment. Survival studies using artificial inocula demonstrated that the number of Listeria in frozen produce stored for 100 days did not significantly decrease in relation to the initial contamination level. A subset of 129 L. monocytogenes isolates originating from produce and the plant environment were typed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. Seventy-six of these isolates were retyped by ribo- and serotyping. Thirteen pulsotypes and 18 ribotypes were distinguished. Persistent Listeria isolates were found even when cleansing and sanitization was applied on a daily basis. Nine (69.2%) of 13 pulsotypes were recovered during a period of more than 2 years. L. monocytogenes of the same pulsotype was isolated from broccoli sampled directly before and after blanching, thus suggesting that blanching at 92 to 95 degrees C for 4 to 8 min did not result in a Listeria-free product, most likely due to massive recontamination. This finding is of importance since blanching is the only critical control point in produce processing. Cross-contamination between the two lines was demonstrated through isolating L. monocytogenes strains indistinguishable by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis from contaminated gloves and floor surfaces.