Abstract
Bacterial contamination of food-contact surfaces can be a potential risk factor for food quality and safety. To evaluate the spatial and temporal variations of the potential cross-contamination routes, we conducted a biogeographical assessment of bacteria in a foodservice facility based on the diversity of microflora on each surface. To this end, we performed high-throughput amplicon sequencing of 13 food-contact and non-food contact surfaces in a foodservice facility throughout a year. The results showed that Bacillus, Acinetobacter, Streptophyta, Enterobacter, Pseudomonas, Serratia, Enhydrobacter, Staphylococcus, Paracoccus, and Lysinibacillus were the dominant genera found on the kitchen surfaces of the foodservice facility. Depending on the season, changes in Firmicute/Proteobacteria ratios were observed, and the fan becomes the main source of outdoor air contamination. The microbial flow associated with spoilage was also observed throughout food preparation. Taken together, our results would be a powerful reference to hygiene managers for improvement of food processes.
Highlights
Most foodborne illness outbreaks take place in foodservice facilities, such as hospitals, educational institutions, workplace cafeterias, restaurants, and other establishments
By categorizing the microbial configuration according to various areas and different time points, we explored the potential risks of contamination and the potential microbial flow during the cooking process in a foodservice facility
When a high contamination ratio was considered to correspond with a high cross-contamination ratio, our results showed that the cross-contamination ratio between food-contact surfaces and non-food contact surfaces was more apparent than that within the food-contact surfaces (Figure 5)
Summary
Most foodborne illness outbreaks take place in foodservice facilities, such as hospitals, educational institutions, workplace cafeterias, restaurants, and other establishments. Microbes from food workers and raw ingredients are considered the major contributors to contamination, which can lead to crosscontamination and large outbreaks. In the EU, it has been reported that salmonellosis, a common bacterial disease affecting the intestinal tract, is related to cross-contamination between raw/cooked food and food-contact surfaces (Osimani et al, 2016). Metagenomic Analysis in a Foodservice Facility environment contain spoilage and/or pathogenic microbes that can cause quality issue and serious health problems by crosscontamination during improper handling of raw material with poor hygiene (Egan et al, 2007; Oliveira et al, 2014). Understanding the contamination path is the primary step for the safety control
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