Food Safety: Poultry and Oysters

Project Highlights   

Research projects in food safety primarily look at pathogens associated with poultry and seafood. One project conducted at the Center for Food Science and Technology is designed to characterize antibiotic-resistant Salmonella spp. isolated from chicken carcasses that were collected from a poultry processing plant. A  total of 425 Salmonella spp. isolated from carcasses and water samples were tested for serotyping and antimicrobial susceptibility.  Thirteen serotypes were identified among Salmonella isolates recovered from samples; the most common being Salmonella Kentucky and S. Typhimurium.  A total of 79.7% of isolates were resistant to one or more antimicrobial agents tested.

Other projects deal with various aspects of Vibriospp., a pathogen oftentimes associated with oysters. Little is known about the seasonal distribution of total and pathogenic V. parahaemolyticus in Chesapeake Bay oysters and seawater. A study was conducted to correlate densities of V. parahaemolyticus in oysters and seawater with environmental parameters. Oyster and water samples were collected monthly for a period of one year from three sites in Chesapeake Bay and analyzed. Total V. parahaemolyticus was detected in 79% of oyster samples with densities ranging from 1.5x10to 6.0x10² CFU/g of oyster. Pathogenic V. parahaemolyticus was present in 12% of oysters at levels ranging from 10 to 20 CFU/g of oyster.

Another project is being undertaken to develop predictive models for the growth and survival of total V. parahaemolyticus in shellstock oysters under commercially-relevant storage temperatures.