Effects of tumbling, refrigeration and subsequent resubmersion on the abundance of Vibrio vulnificus and Vibrio parahaemolyticus in cultured oysters (Crassostrea virginica).

Effects of tumbling, refrigeration and subsequent resubmersion on the abundance of Vibrio vulnificus and Vibrio parahaemolyticus in cultured oysters (Crassostrea virginica). Int J Food Microbiol. 2020 Sep 26;335:108858 Authors: Pruente VL, Jones JL, Steury TD, Walton WC Abstract Routine handling of oysters is a common industry practice for off-bottom oyster aquaculture, which aims to produce a high-quality oyster. These practices expose oysters to elevated temperatures and interrupt filter feeding, which can increase Vibrio vulnificus and V. parahaemolyticus levels within the oyster. The resubmersion of oysters after exposure to conditions where the time-temperature controls are exceeded is as an effective mitigation strategy to allow elevated levels of Vibrio spp. to "recover", or return to ambient levels, prior to harvest. Previous work examined the effect of desiccation on recovery times; the objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of additional handling treatments [tumbled and refrigerated (TR), tumbled and not refrigerated (TNR), not tumbled and refrigerated (NTR), and not tumbled and not refrigerated (NTNR)] on the time needed for V. vulnificus, total V. parahaemolyticus, and pathogenic V. parahaemolyticus (tdh+/trh+) to recover in oysters. A set of non-treated (control) oysters remained submerged throughout the study to determine the ambient Vibrio spp. (inclusive of genotypes) levels within oysters. Vibrio spp. lev...
Source: International Journal of Food Microbiology - Category: Food Science Authors: Tags: Int J Food Microbiol Source Type: research