Fate of Food Pathogens in Gas-packaged Jack Mackerel Fillets.

Abstract

The occurrence and survival of 4 food pathogens (Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, and Clostridium perfringens) in jack mackerel fillets stored in retail packages containing air, N2(N2 100%), or CO2(CO2 40%/N2 60%) atmosphers was studied during 6 days of storage at 5°C. The normal aerobic spoilage bacterial counts were lower in the order of CO2, N2, and air storage in all samples. In most of the samples tested, no food pathogens were detected during 6 days storage in any gas atmosphere. In a few cases, these bacteria were dectected, but they disappeared or decreased in number during the course of the 6-day period of storage in all gas atmosphers. The growth and survival of 4 food pathogens artificially inoculated on a standard method agar medium kept under different gas atmospheres was also studied. With none of the strains was any growth or apparent difference in survival observed at 5°C in any of the gas atmosphers. It was concluded that the risk of health hazard caused by these food pathogens in fish fillets stored under a CO2 gas atmosphers was minimal when these retail packages were stored under chilled conditions.