Biogenic amines and polyamines in liver,kidney and spleen of roe deer and European brown hare

Cadaverine (CAD), histamine (HIS), tyramine (TYR) and the polyamines putrescine (PUT), spermidine (SPD) and spermine (SPM) were determined in liver, kidney and spleen of hunted roe deer (n = 39) and European brown hare (n = 20) 3 and 6 h post mortem, respectively. Median concentrations (mg/kg fresh weight) of CAD and TYR were <5 mg/kg for organs of both species, whereas median HIS concentrations were higher in spleen (14.6 and 11.6 mg/kg for hare and roe deer, respectively) and lowest in liver. Maximum PUT concentration was 72.9 mg/kg, but median values were ≤7.8 mg/kg. Mean SPD concentrations were 8.5, 10.7 and 42.9 mg/kg for liver, kidney and spleen of roe deer, and 37.2, 24.4 and 52.0 mg/kg for hare. Mean SPM concentrations were higher (94.6, 79.9, 102.2 and 111.2, 82.8, 91.1 mg/kg, respectively). SPM concentrations in the organs of the male roe deer were significantly higher than in those of females. SPM:SPD ratios (weight base) were in the order of 2:1 for spleen, and higher for liver and kidney. SPM and SPD were correlated significantly (r = 0.42–0.47). Although variations of polyamine concentrations are partially associated with species, organ, age and gender, the relative contribution of individual factors deserves further study.     

Biogenic amines in selected foods of animal origin obtained from the Croatian retail market

ABSTRACT

This study aimed to investigate the presence of eight biogenic amines (BAs): tryptamine (TRP), phenylethylamine (PHE), putrescine (PUT), cadaverine (CAD), histamine (HIS), tyramine (TYR), spermidine (SPD) and spermine (SPM) in cheese, fish & fishery products and meat & meat products obtained from the Croatian retail market. A selective and robust method of high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with diode array detection (DAD) was applied for the determination of BAs in a total of 91 samples in accordance with the performance criteria outlined in the European legislation. A high inter- and intra-food group variability of the amounts of BAs was observed. In the analysed samples, the most represented amines were TYR, HIS, CAD and PUT. Based on the highest content of the most toxic BAs (HIS and TYR) and consequential food safety concerns, the studied food groups can be ranked in the following order: cheese (HIS up to 106.4 mg/kg; TYR up to 206.6 mg/kg), fish &fishery products (HIS up to 98.8 mg/kg; TYR up to 47.9 mg/kg), and meat & meat products (HIS up to 20.0 mg/kg; TYR up to 117.5 mg/kg). The total BA content was significantly higher (p < .05) in fermented in comparison with other food. The study aimed to contribute to the knowledge on BA toxicity and food quality, as well as to support the indispensable future studies of consumption data and exposure assessment, to the end of defining allowable BA concentrations in food.     

Effects of rosemary and sage tea extract on biogenic amines formation of sardine (Sardina pilchardus) fillets

Natural antimicrobials and antioxidants from rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) and sage tea (Salvia officinalis) were produced using solvent extraction method. The effect of two extracts on ammonia (AMN) and biogenic amines (BAs) formation in vacuum packed sardine (Sardina pilchardus) fillets stored at 3 ± 1 °C was investigated for 20 days. Although the effect of extracts was dependent on specific amine and storage time, phenolic compounds from rosemary and sage tea generally resulted in lower AMN and BAs accumulation in sardine muscle. Putrescine (PUT) and cadaverine (CAD) were the most abundant amines, while histamine (HIS) concentration ranged from 2.05 to 28.77 mg 100g^?1. Rosemary and sage tea extracts significantly reduced HIS, PUT, CAD and trimethylamine accumulation in the fish muscle (P < 0.05) while stimulating effect of extracts was observed on serotonin and agmatine formation. At the end of the storage period, PUT and CAD contents of control were 100‐fold higher than those of treated groups.     

Determination of biogenic amines in selected Malaysian food

The biogenic amines tryptamine (TRP), putrescine (PUT), histamine (HIS), tyramine (TYR) and spermidine (SPD) were determined in 62 selected food items commonly consumed in Malaysia. This include the local appetisers “budu” and “cincalok”, canned fish, salt-cured fish, meat products, fruit juice, canned vegetables/fruits and soy bean products. After the aqueous extraction, the samples were derivatised with dansyl chloride before analysing using reversed phase HPLC with UV detection. Mean levels of TRP, PUT, HIS, TYR and SPD in eight budu samples were 82.7, 38.1, 187.7, 174.7 and 5.1 mg kg⁻¹, respectively. The main biogenic amines found in cincalok were PUT, HIS and TYR where the mean values were 330.7, 126.1 and 448.8 mg kg⁻¹, respectively. With the exception of “pekasam” and “belacan”, significantly lower levels of biogenic amines were found in canned fish and salt-cured fish samples. Non detectable or low levels of biogenic amines were found in meat, fruit juice and canned vegetables/fruit samples.     

Production of Biogenic Amines by Lactic Acid Bacteria Isolated from Uzicka Sausages

The aim of this study was to monitor production of seven biogenic amines (Cadaverine – CAD, Putrescine – PUT, Spermine – SPE, Spermidine – SPD, Histamine – HIS, Tyramine – TYR and Tryptamine – TRY) in selected 24 lactic acid bacteria (LAB) strains. The decarboxylase activity of the microorganisms was studied in growth medium after 24 h cultivation. The ability of 24 LAB isolates cultivated in MRS broth and M17 broth supplement with 0.5% glucose to produce biogenic amines was assessed using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The investigation showed that LAB isolated from Uzicka sausage are not significant producers of biogenic amines in vitro.     

Characterisation and application of Halomonas shantousis SWA25, a halotolerant bacterium with multiple biogenic amine degradation activity

Biogenic amines are identified as toxicological substances in foods and may have detrimental effects on consumers’ health. In recent years, the application of microorganisms that can degrade biogenic amines has become an emerging method for their reduction. The degradation characteristics and application potential of a salt-tolerant bacterium Halomonas shantousis SWA25 were investigated in this study. H. shantousis SWA25 exhibited degradation activity against eight biogenic amines at 10–40°C (optimum, 30–40°C) and pH 3.0–9.0 (optimum, 6.0–7.0) in the presence of 0–20% (w/v) NaCl (optimum, 0%). Specifically, H. shantousis SWA25 degraded all tryptamine (TRY) and tyramine (TYR) in 6 h, all phenethylamine (PHE) in 9 h, 66.7% of histamine (HIM), 52.4% of cadaverine (CAD), 48.0% of spermidine (SPD), 42.9% of putrescine (PUT) and 42.0% of spermine (SPM) in 20 h at 30°C and pH 7.0 with shaking at 120 r min^?1. The enzymes from H. shantousis SWA25 responsible for degradation of biogenic amines were mainly amine oxidases located on the cell membrane. Further studies showed that H. shantousis SWA25 effectively degraded TRY, PHE, PUT, CAD, HIM and TYR in commercial fish sauce and soy sauce samples. Nevertheless, significant SPD and SPM degradation were not observed due to low initial concentrations. Therefore, H. shantousis SWA25 can be applied as a potential biogenic amines degradation bacterium in foods.     

阿魏酸对风干鲈鱼中N-亚硝胺及生物胺的抑制作用

在风干鲈鱼腌制过程中分别添加0、50、100、150、200 mg/kg的抑制剂阿魏酸,15 ℃、相对湿度80%～90%条件下风干84 h,研究阿魏酸对风干鲈鱼中N-亚硝胺及生物胺含量等安全指标影响。结果显示,阿魏酸对风干鲈鱼中腐胺、尸胺、组胺、酪胺的生成具明显的抑制作用,但对样品中精胺和亚精胺的生成具有促进作用。当阿魏酸添加量不超过150 mg/kg时,随着阿魏酸添加量的提高,N-二甲基亚硝胺含量显著降低。贮藏27 d时对照组菌落总数为7.59 （lg（CFU/g））,添加200 mg/kg阿魏酸组菌落总数为5.45（lg（CFU/g））,相对于对照组降低了28.20%。结果表明：添加阿魏酸在不影响风干鲈鱼感官品质的基础上能显著降低风干鲈鱼中生物胺总量、微生物菌落总数、N-二甲基亚硝胺含量、亚硝酸盐残留量。     

Simple,rapid and valid thin layer chromatographic method for determining biogenic amines in foods

A simple, rapid and valid thin layer chromatographic (TLC) method for determining biogenic amines in foods is established. Biogenic amines were extracted from foods with 5% TCA, the extract was washed by ethyl ether, the washed extract was dried and the dansyl derivatives were prepared. Separation of the dansylated amines was achieved on silica gel TLC plates by multiple development technique, and quantification was performed by densitometry at 254 nm. The response of the densitometer was linear and highly correlated with the amounts of dansylamines. The calculated determination coefficient (r²) ranged from 0.997 to 0.970. The sensitivity of the method was 45, 174, 703, 101, 132, 88, 515 and 61 for TRY, PUT, CAD, SPD, HIS, SPM, TYR and PHE, respectively. The relative standard deviation (RSD) of the proposed method (repeatability) ranged from 0.39 to 6.36% for TYR (80 ng) and PHE (20 ng), respectively. The accuracy of the proposed method ranged from 86.2 to 93.2% for PHE and HIS, respectively, and there was no significant differences (p<0.05) between the recoveries obtained for all kinds of food analyzed. The limit of detection of the proposed method was found to be 10ng for TRY, SPM and PHE, and 5 ng for the other biogenic amines tested. ©     

Production of biogenic amines by lactic acid bacteria and bifidobacteria isolated from dairy products and beer

The aim was to monitor production of eight biogenic amines (BAs) (histamine, tyramine (TYR), tryptamine, putrescine, cadaverine (CAD), phenylethylamine, spermine and spermidine) by selected 81 lactic acid bacteria (LAB) strains: Lactobacillus, Lactococcus, Leuconostoc, Enterococcus, Pediococcus, Tetragenococcus and Bifidobacterium. The tested LAB and bifidobacteria were isolated from dairy products and beer. The decarboxylase activity of the micro‐organisms was studied in growth medium after cultivation. The activity was monitored by HPLC after the pre‐column derivatisation with dansylchloride. Fifty LAB showed decarboxylase activity. Thirty‐one strains produced low concentrations of CAD (≤10 mg L^?1). Almost 70% of beer isolates generated higher amounts of TYR (≤3000 mg L^?1). Most of the tested LAB demonstrated decarboxylase activity. The above micro‐organisms can contribute to the increase of content of BAs in dairy products or beer and thereby threaten food safety and health of consumers. Production of BAs even by the representatives of some probiotic strains (Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus rhamnosus) was detected in this research. This study has also proved that contaminating LAB can act as sources of higher amounts of CAD and TYR in beer.     

Interaction between lactic acid bacteria and food‐borne pathogens on putrescine production in ornithine‐enriched broth

Interactions of mixed cultures [lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and food‐borne pathogens (FBP)] on putrescine (PUT) as well as other biogenic amines (BAs) production were investigated in ornithine‐enriched broth. Significant differences in BAs production were found among the bacterial strains (P < 0.05). Conversion of ornithine into PUT by Salmonella Paratyphi A and Aeromonas hydrophila as well as Listeria monocytogenes and Staphylococcus aureus was high (>75 mg L^?1), whereas other bacterial strains yielded below 50 mg L^?1 of PUT. LAB strains resulted in significant reduction in PUT by Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Enterobacteriaceae, except for Escherichia coli, which was stimulated more than two‐fold PUT in the presence of Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis. Lactobacillus plantarum had generally inhibition effect on histamine (HIS) and tyramine production by FBP, whereas Lc. lactic subsp. lactic slightly stimulated HIS by E. coli and A. hydrophila. Streptococcus thermophilus resulted in 1.5‐fold higher HIS formation by bacteria (10 mg L^?1). Consequently, the interaction between LAB and specific FBP might result in significant inhibition of amine accumulation, if the correct LAB strains are used.     

The influence of sonication time on the biogenic amines formation as a critical point in uncured dry-fermented beef manufacturing

In this study, the influence of sonication time on the biogenic amines formation as a critical point in uncured dry-fermented beef manufacturing was studied. Samples of musculus semimembranosus were sonicated at different times (5 and 10 min) using ultrasound cold bath (4 °C) in acid whey (US 40 kHz and acoustic power 480 W). The effect of sonication on biogenic amine (BA) formation was investigated during 93 days of ripening period. Other parameters (pH value, water activity, microbial counts) that might provide further information on the product under study were also determined. The use of ultrasound during beef marinating in acid whey has a positive effect on retarding histamine (HIS), cadaverine (CAD), tyramine (TYR) and putrescine (PUT) formation. Moreover, the sonication treatment did not inhibit the growth of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) in dry-fermented beef during the whole ripening period. The pathogen bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus, Clostridium sp., Listeria monocytogenes) were not detected in all samples neither after 31 nor after 93 days of ripening period.     

Determination of Histamine and Tyramine in Canned Fish Samples by Headspace Solid-Phase Microextraction Based on a Nanostructured Polypyrrole Fiber Followed by Ion Mobility Spectrometry

This paper describes the development of a simple, rapid, and selective method based on headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) combined with ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) for the simultaneous determination of histamine (HIS) and tyramine (TYR) in the canned fish samples. The spectra interferences were eliminated by using a new alternate reagent gas and resulted in an increased sensitivity and selectivity of IMS technique. A dodecylbenzenesulfonate-doped polypyrrole coating was used as a fiber for HS-SPME method. The calibration curves were linear in the range of 30–300 ng g^?1 (R ² > 0.994). Limits of detection for HIS and TYR were 3 and 4 ng g^?1, respectively. The proposed method was successfully applied to determine HIS and TYR in different canned fish samples without derivatization steps. Method validation was conducted by comparing our results with those obtained through gas chromatography-mass spectrometry method.     

Escherichia coli,Salmonella spp., and Staphylococcus aureus susceptibility to antimicrobials of human and veterinary importance in poultry sector of India

In India, little attention has been paid on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in the context of developing “One Health” approach. Hence, utilizing multi-disciplinary approach, we assess the AMR level and dynamics/pattern of multi-drug resistance (MDR) in Escherichia coli, Salmonella spp., and Staphylococcus aureus circulating over the different stages of poultry in India. A total of 342 isolates including E. coli (n = 143), Salmonella spp. (n = 104), and S. aureus (n = 95) were recovered from fecal (n = 80) and cecal (n = 80) samples of chicken, collected across the different poultry-retail shops and poultry-farms located at urban and rural areas of Rajasthan, India, respectively. High rates of AMR to drugs that are critically/highly important both in human and veterinary medicine were observed among all the isolates. Upward trends in AMR prevalence was observed in poultry-retail shops than in poultry-farms. Notably, >90% of all the isolates were MDR, of particular, pattern/prevalence of MDR was substantially varied across the poultry-farms vs. poultry-retail shops. Our results indicate AMR including MDR to be common in E. coli, Salmonella spp., and S. aureus distributed frequently in poultry. The study encourages the formulation of national policy, programmes and further research with a “One Health” approach that can benefits to the human/animal and the environment.     

Bacterial diversity and composition of alfalfa silage as analyzed by Illumina MiSeq sequencing: Effects of Escherichia coli O157:H7 and silage additives

The first objective of this study was to examine effects of adding Escherichia coli O157:H7 with or without chemical or microbial additives on the bacterial diversity and composition of alfalfa silage. The second objective was to examine associations between the relative abundance of known and unknown bacterial species and indices of silage fermentation quality. Alfalfa forage was harvested at 54% dry matter, chopped to a theoretical length of cut of 19 mm, and ensiled in quadruplicate in laboratory silos for 100 d after the following treatments were applied: (1) distilled water (control); (2) 1 × 10⁵ cfu/g of E. coli O157:H7 (EC); (3) EC and 1 × 10⁶ cfu/g of Lactobacillus plantarum (EC+LP); (4) EC and 1 × 10⁶ cfu/g of Lactobacillus buchneri (EC+LB); and (5) EC and 0.22% propionic acid (EC+PA). After 100 d of ensiling, the silage samples were analyzed for bacterial diversity and composition via the Illumina MiSeq platform (Illumina Inc., San Diego, CA) and chemically characterized. Overall, Firmicutes (74.1 ± 4.86%) was the most predominant phylum followed by Proteobacteria (20.4 ± 3.80%). Relative to the control, adding E. coli O157:H7 alone at ensiling did not affect bacterial diversity or composition but adding EC+LP or EC+LB reduced the Shannon index, a measure of diversity (3.21 vs. 2.63 or 2.80, respectively). The relative abundance of Firmicutes (69.2 and 68.8%) was reduced, whereas that of Proteobacteria (24.0 and 24.9%) was increased by EC+LP and EC+PA treatments, relative to those of the control (79.5 and 16.5%) and EC+LB (77.4 and 18.5%) silages, respectively. Compared with the control, treatment with EC+LP increased the relative abundance of Lactobacillus, Sphingomonas, Pantoea, Pseudomonas, and Erwinia by 426, 157, 200, 194, and 163%, respectively, but reduced those of Pediococcus, Weissella, and Methylobacterium by 5,436, 763, and 250%, respectively. Relative abundance of Weissella (9.19%) and Methylobacterium (0.94%) were also reduced in the EC+LB silage compared with the control (29.7 and 1.50%, respectively). Application of propionic acid did not affect the relative abundance of Lactobacillus, Weissella, or Pediococcus. Lactate concentration correlated positively (r = 0.56) with relative abundance of Lactobacillus and negatively (r = ?0.41) with relative abundance of Pediococcus. Negative correlations were detected between ammonia-N concentration and relative abundance of Sphingomonas (r = ?0.51), Pantoea (r = ?0.46), Pseudomonas (r = ?0.45), and Stenotrophomonas (r = ?0.38). Silage pH was negatively correlated with relative abundance of Lactobacillus (r = ?0.59), Sphingomonas (r = ?0.66), Pantoea (r = ?0.69), Pseudomonas (r = ?0.69), and Stenotrophomonas (r = ?0.50). Future studies should aim to speciate, culture, and determine the functions of the unknown bacteria detected in this study to elucidate their roles in silage fermentation.     

超高效液相色谱-串联质谱法同时测定蜂蜜中8种生物胺

建立了同时测定蜂蜜中色胺(TR)、2-苯乙胺(PHE)、腐胺(PUT)、尸胺(CAD)、组胺(HIS)、酪胺(TYR)、亚精胺(SPD)和精胺(SP)8种生物胺的超高效液相色谱串联质谱柱前衍生的分析方法。样品经5%三氯乙酸溶液提取后用丹磺酰氯柱前衍生,采用Agilent Poroshell 120 SB-C₁₈(50 mm×2.1 mm,2.7 μm)柱,以0.1%甲酸水溶液-0.1%甲酸乙腈溶液为流动相进行定性和定量分析。采用本方法对22种市售蜂蜜进行检测,结果显示8种生物胺在不同的蜂蜜中检出,所有蜂蜜样品中均检测到2-苯乙胺和腐胺,其中2-苯乙胺也是蜂蜜样品中平均含量最多的生物胺。本方法中8种生物胺的线性相关系数均大于0.99,检出限为0.01~0.51 μg/L。在添加水平为100、500、1000 μg/kg时,样品的平均回收率在76%~112%之间,日内精密度小于等于9.8%,日间精密度小于等于13.1%。该方法快速简单,灵敏准确,且回收率稳定,适用于蜂蜜中生物胺的检测。     

Texture and colour characteristics,and optimisation of sodium chloride,potassium chloride and glycine of reduced-sodium frankfurter

The three-components mixture design was applied to optimise a ratio of NaCl (0%–65%), KCl (35%–100%) and glycine (0%–20%) in reduced-sodium frankfurters. Fourteen frankfurters were analysed for texture and colour, and consumer (n = 100) acceptability. Results indicated that NaCl levels affected consumer acceptability of reduced-sodium frankfurters. Increasing NaCl generally increased texture hardness. Optimisation of a salt mixture was performed by superimposing contour plots of predicted acceptability scores (≥5.5 on a 9-points hedonic scale) of all sensory attributes and revealed the optimal salt mixture: 40.03%–63.66% NaCl, 35.00%–55.90% KCl and 0.00%–20.00% glycine. The optimal salt mixture contained 220–340 mg Na/100g frankfurter compared with 540 mg Na/100 g of the control formulation (100% NaCl). The mean overall liking score (5.9 vs. 5.9) of the optimal reduced-sodium frankfurter was not different from the control (100% NaCl). This optimal formulation had >25% sodium reduction and could be claimed as ‘reduced-sodium’ according to US Food and Drugs Administration regulation.     

Determination of neotame in beverages,cakes and preserved fruits by column-switching high-performance liquid chromatography

A column-switching HPLC method for the determination of neotame in beverages, cakes and preserved fruits was developed. After pre-treatment using a Waters Oasis HLB cartridge, the sample solution was separated on two C₁₈ columns using a column-switching technique with a six-port valve. UV detection was performed at 210 nm. The effects of eluent composition and eluate volume on the retention and elution of neotame on SPE cartridge were investigated. The method is simple, rapid, sensitive and has good reproducibility. RSD was lower than 5% (n = 5). The calibration curve of neotame was in the range 5–100 µg/ml with good linearity (r ² = 0.999). Because neotame was concentrated 10 times from an original sample to a sample solution by solid-phase extraction (SPE), the limit of quantification (LOQ) of the method was 0.5 mg/kg. The recovery yields of neotame spiked in foods was >92% with a coefficient of variation <3.2%. The proposed column-switching HPLC method can be successfully used to determine neotame in routine inspection work.     

Identification and decarboxylase activities of bacteria isolated from decomposed mahimahi (Coryphaena hippurus) after incubation at 0 and 32°C

Identification and amine-forming ability of bacterial isolates from decomposed mahimahi (Coryphaena hippurus) were studied in order to identify spoilage microflora and determine the potential for a chemical index of spoilage based on the metabolites produced. Mesophilic bacteria isolated from a fish incubated at 32°C for 24 h were essentially all Gram-negative rods; 89% of these were Vibrio alginolyticus. Strong histamine-forming (> 100 mg/100 ml) mesophiles consisted of eight cultures of Morganella morganii and one of Proteus mirabilis. Weak histamine-forming (< 10 mg/100 ml) mesophiles were all V. alginolyticus, and these comprised 15% of the isolates assigned to that species. Decarboxylation of ornithine and lysine occurred in 38 and 92%, respectively, of the mesophilic isolates. Psychrotrophic isolates obtained from a fish incubated 14 days at 0°C were predominantly Gram-negative genera. Of these, 9% were histamine-forming cultures of Alteromonas putrefaciens, a weak histamine former that produced < 1 mg/100 ml at 5 and 20°C. Decarboxylation of ornithine and lysine occurred in 13 and 15%, respectively, of the psychrotrophic isolates.     

Prevalence and Characterization of Salmonella Isolated from Chicken Meat in Turkey

This study was conducted in a Turkish province to investigate the presence of Salmonella spp. in 150 chicken meat samples using 2 phenotyping techniques: classic culture technique (CCT) and immunomagnetic separation (IMS). For the confirmation of the isolates at molecular levels, invA gene was detected in these isolates. The presence of invA, class 1 (Cls1) integrons, and integrase (Int1) genes was demonstrated by PCR assay; and the resistance of the isolated Salmonella spp. strains to antibiotics was determined by disk diffusion test. All the cultural and PCR results were evaluated together; Salmonella spp. were detected in a total of 64 (42.66%) chicken meat samples. Contamination rate was higher in carcasses (53.33%, n = 75) than in meat pieces (32%, n = 75). When results of standard culture were compared with IMS technique, IMS (n = 54) showed a clear superiority over the CCT (n = 38). A very high resistance rate (≥89.28%) to vancomycin, tetracycline, streptomycin, or nalidixic acid was found. Trimethoprim‐sulfamethoxazole resistance was present in 32.14%. Relatively lower incidence of resistance (≤8.33%) to gentamicin, chloramphenicol, ampicillin, and ceftriaxone was observed. Concurrent resistance to at least 4 antibiotics was detected in 92.85% of the isolates. Cls1 integrons and Int1 were positive in 80.95% and 95.23% of the isolates, respectively. However, Int1 alone was detected in 15.47% (n = 13). In conclusion, the high prevalence of Salmonella spp. in chicken meat may pose a potential public health risk, and the presence of antibiotic‐resistant Salmonella spp. isolate together with Cls1 integron and/or integrase might play an important role in horizontal antibiotic gene transfer.     

Methicillin‐Resistant Staphylococcus aureus in Raw Meats and Prepared Foods in Public Hospitals in Salvador,Bahia, Brazil

This study investigated the presence of methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in raw meat and fish and foods prepared from them for patient consumption in public hospitals in Salvador, Bahia, in northeastern Brazil. A total of 114 samples of raw meat and fish (chicken, n = 30; beef, n = 30; pork, n = 24; and fish, n = 30) and 63 samples of prepared foods (made with chicken, n = 15; beef, n = 15; pork, n = 15; and fish, n = 18) were collected from the kitchens of 10 different hospitals. Of the 114 investigated raw meat and fish samples, 28.1% were positive for MRSA, which comprised 23.3% beef, 23.3% chicken, 37.5% pork, and 30% fish samples. Of the prepared foods, 9.5% were positive for MRSA, which comprised 5.6% chicken products, 6.7% pork products, and 22.2% fish products. MRSA contamination was not detected in prepared beef dishes. A statistical analysis showed no association between the presence of MRSA and the type of raw food (P > 0.05). The high prevalence of MRSA among the raw foods tested and the presence of the microorganism in prepared foods emphasizes the necessity of enforcing hygienic practices within hospital kitchens.