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HEAT PASTEURIZATION OF CRAB AND SHRIMP FROM THE PACIFIC COAST OF THE UNITED STATES: PUBLIC HEALTH ASPECTS
Author(s) -
LERKE PETER,
FARBER LIONEL
Publication year - 1971
Publication title -
journal of food science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.772
H-Index - 150
eISSN - 1750-3841
pISSN - 0022-1147
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2621.1971.tb04042.x
Subject(s) - pasteurization , shrimp , clostridium botulinum , spore , food science , toxin , biology , fishery , microbiology and biotechnology
— A study of the potential public health hazard presented by coagulase‐positive staphy‐lococci, salmonellae and Clostridium botulinum in the meat of Dungeness crab and Pacific Coast shrimp pasteurized in flexible plastic containers revealed potentially toxinogenic staphylococci on the commercial nonpasteurized product, in 15% of the shrimp and 9% of the crab samples. No salmonellae or Cl. botulinum were isolated from, respectively. 26 and 54 samples of shrimp or 74 samples of crab. Pasteurization for 1 min at 180°F destroyed large inocula (10 7 and 10 8 cells) of staphylococci and salmonellae introduced into packages of the products, but processing for 5 min at 180°F allowed some members of an inoculum containing 10 3 spores of Cl. botulinum type E to survive. While storage at 40°F prevented the growth on crab and shrimp meat of all staphylococci and salmonellae tested, it permitted growth and toxin formation by Cl. botulinum type E after 30–40 days. No toxin could be detected in packages inoculated with type A and proteolytic B spores and held at 50°F or lower. A 0.1% dip of sodium benzoate, with or without fumaric acid, did not prevent growth and toxinogenesis by Cl. botulinum types A, proteolytic B or E. It was concluded that for complete safety a holding temperature of 36°F or lower at all times would be required, but that it could not be expected to be maintained in commercial channels.