engleski

The importance of testing for bacteria of the genus Listeria in environmental samples

Bacteria of the genus Listeria are widely distributed in the environment and can easily reach food, and because of their high resistance to temperature and disinfectants, they can survive on work surfaces, floors, machines, and hands of employees in manufacturing plants in the food industry. The aim of this study was to emphasize the importance of sampling of environmental samples, for the purpose of reducing the risk of food contamination, and thus the risk to human health. According to the new standard ISO 11290- 1:2017, in addition to Listeria monocytogenes, the presence of other species of Listeria spp. is proven by means of isolation and detection in environmental samples. The sampling procedure was carried out on working surfaces and equipment in the food industry according to the guidelines of the European Union Reference Laboratory for Listeria monocytogenes. This study presents the results in the period from 2016 to 2018 whereby the presence of Listeria monocytogenes and Listeria spp. in the environmental samples was demonstrated. The results show that the number of bacteria has been reduced over the years by taking appropriate corrective measures according to the HACCP plan. Our study suggests that, based on a more frequent sampling of environmental wipes, sanitation, and hygiene in the industrial manufacturing plants and the monitoring of the HACCP guidelines, the number of the Listeria genus has gradually decreased by 2018, thus reducing the possibility of contamination of the final product.

bacteria ; environmental samples ; HACCP ; isolation ; sampling

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