Detection of Listeria monocytogenes while testing food raw materials and products of animal origin for microbiological contamination

Introduction. Listeria-contaminated food remains an ongoing concern. Consumption of raw or undercooked animal-derived products contaminated with pathogenic Listeria results in human infection. The Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing (Rospotrebnadzor) documented 100 listeriosis cases in 2023, with 18 cases resulting in death. In recent years, there has been an increase in Listeria contamination of both domestically produced and imported food products. Thus, detection of pathogenic Listeria in the products of animal origin, food raw materials, and ready-to-eat products remains a critical task.

Objective. Detecting Listeria monocytogenes contamination in products of animal origin (meat, fish, dairy) manufactured and marketed in the Nizhny Novgorod Oblast from 2023 to 2024.

Materials and methods. The samples were analysed and pure microbial cultures were identified in accordance with GOST 32031-2022 “Food products. Methods for detection of Listeria monocytogenes and other Listeria (Listeria spp.)”.

Results. Analysis and synthesis of the obtained data revealed that out of 3,650 tested samples, 57 (1.6%) were contaminated with L. monocytogenes bacteria. The highest number of contaminated samples was found among such product categories as combined semi-finished meat products, beef products, and poultry meat products. The incidence of L. monocytogenes in samples of fishery products was 1.1%. The highest levels of contamination were detected in the following products: minced beef (10.7%), poultry meat products wrapped in dough (9.3%), mechanically deboned poultry meat (7.1%), large-cut semi-finished products (4.6%), beef offal (4.3%), and chopped semi-finished poultry meat products (4.2%).

Conclusion. The test results show that the number of contaminated samples among combined semi-finished meat products was 4.3%, non-compliance with the safety requirements of beef products was detected in 3.7%; 2.8% of poultry product samples were contaminated with L. monocytogenes bacteria. The number and percentage of contaminated samples among frozen and refrigerated products did not significantly differ and amounted to 0.7 and 0.8%, respectively.  L. monocytogenes were not detected in samples of dairy and ready-to-eat meat products that do not require heat treatment.

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