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Growth Behavior of <i>Listeria monocytogenes</i> in a Traditional Norwegian Fermented Fish Product (<i>Rakfisk</i>), and Its Inhibition through Bacteriophage Addition
oleh: Lars Axelsson, Guro Alette Bjerke, Anette McLeod, Ingunn Berget, Askild L. Holck
| Format: | Article |
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| Diterbitkan: | MDPI AG 2020-01-01 |
Deskripsi
<i>Listeria monocytogenes</i> may persist in food production environments and cause listeriosis. In Norway, a product of concern is the traditional and popular fermented fish product “<i>rakfisk</i>”, which is made from freshwater salmonid fish by mild-salting and brine maturation at low temperatures for several months. It is eaten without any heat treatment, and <i>L. monocytogenes</i>, therefore, poses a potential hazard. We investigated the effect of salt and temperature on the growth of <i>L. monocytogenes</i> in <i>rakfisk</i> during the 91 days of maturation. The amounts of organic acids produced during fermentation were too low to inhibit growth of <i>L. monocytogenes</i>. Temperature was clearly the most important parameter for controlling <i>L. monocytogenes</i>. At 7 °C, approximately 2 log growth was observed during the first 14 days of fermentation, and the level of <i>L. monocytogenes</i> thereafter remained constant. At 4 °C, only a little growth potential of the pathogen was recorded. We also investigated the effect of the anti-<i>Listeria</i> bacteriophage P100 on <i>rakfisk</i> with added <i>L. monocytogenes</i>. The phage was introduced to the <i>L. monocytogenes</i>-inoculated fish before fermentation, and an average of 0.9 log reduction was observed throughout the fermentation period. This is the first study of <i>L. monocytogenes</i> behavior in <i>rakfisk</i> and points to possible measures for increasing the product safety.