Control of Listeria monocytogenes in food production plants

Abstract

L. monocytogenes has been established in different plants for the production of food, including dairy plants, abattoirs, plants for the processing of fish, as well as those for the production of ready-to-eat (RTE) food and this fact is being considered as the primary mechanism of food contamination with this bacteria. There is also the factor of numerous and diverse contaminated production equipment, because it has certain parts that are inaccessible for the necessary cleaning and disinfection. The temperature, position, as well as the material of the work surface are also linked to the contamination of plants with this bacteria. Investigations carried out so far have helped toward the better understanding of the manner and time of contamination of food items in the course of the production process, but there are still unresolved problems, including most certainly the biggest one - the adherence of bacteria and the creation of a biofilm, when the bacteria is in that condition more resistant to so-called stress factors which are usually used in the food industry for the purpose of decontamination of the surfaces with which foods come into contact. The control of L. monocytogenes in food production plants is possible primarily by using an integrated programme, compatible with the systems Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) and Good Hygiene Practice (GHP), necessary in the production of food that is safe for the consumer. Essentially, the control measures that can contribute to reducing the incidence of findings of L.monocytogenes in the finished product, as well as the reducing of the level of contamination with this bacteria are linked, on the one hand, with hygiene procedures in the production process, and, on the other, with the applied technological procedures.

L. monocytogenes je ustanovljena u različitim pogonima za proizvodnju hrane, uključujući mlekare, klanice, pogone za obradu i preradu ribe, kao i one za pripremu hrane spremne za jelo (RTE-Ready to eat), što se razmatra kao primarni mehanizam kontaminacije hrane ovom bakterijom. Kontaminirana proizvodna oprema je takođe brojna i raznolika, jer poseduje pojedine delove koji su nepristupačni za propisno čišćenje i dezinfekciju. Temperatura, mesto, kao i materijal radne površine takođe su povezani sa kontaminacijom pogona ovom bakterijom. Dosadašnja istraživanja su doprinela boljem razumevanju načina i vremena kontaminacije namirnica u toku proizvodnog procesa, ali i dalje ima nerazjašnjenih problema, među kojima je svakako najveći adherencija bakterija i stvaranje biofilma, pri čemu je bakterija u tom stanju otpornija na tzv. stres faktore koji se uobičajeno koriste u industriji hrane u cilju dekontaminacije površina sa kojima hrana dolazi u kontakt. Kontrola L. monocytogenes u pogonima za proizvodnju hrane moguća je prvenstveno primenom integrisanog programa, kompatibilnog sa sistemima Hazard Analisys Critical Control Point (HACCP) i Good Hygienic Practice (GHP), neophodnih u proizvodnji hrane bezbedne za potrošača. U osnovi, kontrolne mere koje mogu da doprinesu smanjenju učestalosti nalaza L. monocytogenes u gotovom proizvodu, kao i smanjenju nivoa kontaminacije ovom bakterijom su sa jedne strane vezane za postupke higijene u proizvodnom procesu, a sa druge za tehnološke postupke u njemu.