The importance of the analysis and interpretation of results in the control of pathogenic microorganisms in foods. The case of Listeria monocytogenes

Authors

  • Alejandra Moreno-Torres Molina Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB)
  • Carolina Ripolles-Avila Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
  • José Juan Rodríguez Jerez Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona

Keywords:

Listeria monocytogenes, microorganism control, interpretation of results, descriptive statistics, pathogens, food safety.

Abstract

This paper focuses on the frequent problem of analysis and interpretation of results in the detection of pathogens in the food industries, using the case of Listeria monocytogenes as a model that can be extrapolated to other microorganisms. To this end, we deal with the current situation of food safety, discussing surface contamination, which represents a first-rate problem in the food industry. Specifically, the outbreak of infection in Seville in the summer of 2019, caused by L. monocytogenes contamination, may be taken as an example of similar situations that may be happening in our country today. Sampling is considered the basis of interpretation, differentiating between quantitative and qualitative measures. At all times it is sought to establish a simple statistical approach, providing examples that may contribute to the understanding of the situation. This is of help in the decision-making process of any food-processing company which is concerned about the safety of its products, and which seeks to obtain a good yield from its analytical costs. We cover concepts such as sampling, descriptive statistics, the difference in concept between isolated and repeated measures, as well as the importance of the food safety objective (FSO) and the interpretation of the frequency of occurrence of a pathogen, depending on the sample size and the record of results. With this information, it is hoped that industry may be assisted and that the decision-making process may be facilitated.

KEYWORDS: Listeria monocytogenes, microorganism control, interpretation of results, descriptive statistics, pathogens, food safety.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biographies

Alejandra Moreno-Torres Molina, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB)

Departament de Ciència Animal i dels Aliments. Facultat
de Veterinària. Campus Universitat Autònoma de
Barcelona (UAB), Bellaterra (Barcelona).


Carolina Ripolles-Avila, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona

Professora associada de l’Àrea de Nutrició i Bromatologia.
Departament de Ciència Animal i dels Aliments. Facultat de Veterinària. Campus UAB, Bellaterra (Barcelona).

José Juan Rodríguez Jerez, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona

JOSÉ JUAN RODRÍGUEZ JEREZ
Catedràtic de l’Àrea de Nutrició i Bromatologia.
Departament de Ciència Animal i dels Aliments.
Facultat de Veterinària. Campus UAB, Bellaterra
(Barcelona).

Downloads

How to Cite

Moreno-Torres Molina, A., Ripolles-Avila, C., & Rodríguez Jerez, J. J. (2020). The importance of the analysis and interpretation of results in the control of pathogenic microorganisms in foods. The case of <i>Listeria monocytogenes</i>. TECA: Tecnologia I Ciència Dels Aliments, 19, 10–19. Retrieved from https://revistes.iec.cat/index.php/TECA/article/view/148612

Issue

Vol. 19 (2020)

Section

Articles

License

The intellectual property of the articles belongs to the respective authors.

At the time of submitting the articles to TECA: Tecnologia i Ciència dels Aliments, authors accept the following terms:

— Authors assign to the Associació Catalana de Ciències de l’Alimentació (a subsidiary of the Institut d’Estudis Catalans) the rights of reproduction, public communication (including communication through social networks) and distribution of the articles submitted for publication to TECA: Tecnologia i Ciència dels Aliments, in any form and medium, including digital platforms. The Publications Committee reserves the right to accept or refuse submitted articles and the right to make any editorial changes it deems appropriate. If the suggested changes are accepted by authors, they should re-submit the article with such changes.

— Authors answer to the Associació Catalana de Ciències de l’Alimentació for the authorship and originality of submitted articles. In other words, authors assure that submitted articles do not contain fragments of works by other authors or fragments of their own previously published works; that the content of articles is original, and that the copyright of third parties is not infringed upon. Authors accept this responsibility and undertake to hold harmless the Associació Catalana de Ciències de l’Alimentació for any loss or damage resulting from non-compliance with this obligation. Furthermore, they should include a statement in articles submitted to the journal regarding their responsibility for the content of the articles.

— Authors are responsible for obtaining permission for the reproduction of all graphic material included in articles, and they should moreover ensure that images, videos, etc., have been created with the consent of the individuals appearing in them, and that material belonging to third parties is clearly identified and acknowledged as such within the text. Likewise, authors should provide the respective consents and authorisations to the Associació Catalana de Ciències de l’Alimentació when submitting articles.

— The Associació Catalana de Ciències de l’Alimentació is exempt from any liability arising from the possible infringement of intellectual property rights by authors. In all cases, it undertakes to publish corrections, clarifications, retractions and apologies, if necessary.

— Unless otherwise stated in the text or in the graphic material, the contents published in the journal are subject to an Attribution - NonCommercial - NoDerivs 3.0 Spain (by-nc-nd) license from Creative Commons, the full text of which may be consulted at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/es/deed.en. Therefore, the general public is authorised to reproduce, distribute and communicate articles as long as their authorship and publishing entity are acknowledged, and no commercial use is made of them nor derivative work produced from them.

— The journal is not responsible for the ideas and opinions expressed by the authors of published articles.

Most read articles by the same author(s)