Microbiology and HACCP For

Surimi Seafood
 Surimi Seafood Microbiology

• Production and storage • HACCP

• Microbial quality • Microbial standards
• Microbial safety • Packaging
• Pasteurization studies • Fermented products
• Non-thermal processing • Rapid test kits
Microbiology of Surimi During
Production and Storage
Microbial Quality and Safety of Surimi
Seafood Depends On:
• Microbial load in the raw surimi
• Microbial load in ingredients
• Processing time/temperature abuse
• Equipment sanitation
• Employee hygiene
 Figure 1. Aerobic Plate Count

7
6 Surimi Crab Leg
Log CFU/g

5
4 Flaked Surimi
3 Crab Meat
2 Surimi Scallops
1
0
a b c d e f g h
Processing step
a = surimi e = second cook
b = surimi plus ingredients f = flaking or chopping
c = first cook/rope formation g = packaging
d = color addition h = “pasteurization”
 Figure 2. Coliform Counts

4
Log Total Coliform/g
3,5
Surimi Crab Leg
3
2,5
Flaked Surimi
2
Crab Meat
1,5
1 Surimi Scallops
0,5
0
a b c d e f g h
Processing step
a = surimi e = second cook
b = surimi plus ingredients f = flaking or chopping
c = first cook/rope formation g = packaging
d = color addition h = pasteurization
 Figure 3. Fecal Coliform Counts

3
Log Fecal Coliform/g

2,5 Surimi Crab Leg

2
Flaked Surimi
1,5
Crab Meat
1 Surimi Scallops
0,5
0
a b c d e f g h
Processing step
a = surimi e = second cook
b = surimi plus ingredients f = flaking or chopping
c = first cook/rope formation g = packaging
d = color addition h = pasteurization
 Equipment Sanitation
• Belt conveyor 1,800,000/cm2
• Container of mixed paste 25,000/cm2
• Inner wall of mixer 540/cm2
 Surimi Seafood Shelf Life
Days at: 15oC 10oC 5oC 0oC
59oF 50oF 41oF 32oF
Surimi crab legs 4 14 >28 >28
Flaked surimi
crab meat <3 <4 <7 14
 Figure 4. APC: Surimi Crab Legs

9
8
7
Log CFU/g

15C
6
10C
5
4 5C
3 0C
2
1
0 10 20 30
Days of Storage
 Figure 5. APC: Flaked Surimi Crab
Meat

10
9
Log CFU/g

8 15C
7 10C
6 5C
5
0C
4
3
0 10 20 30
Days of Storage
 Microbial Quality of Surimi
Seafood: Bacillus Species and
Other Gram-positive Bacteria
 Pasteurization
• Has no effect on bacterial spores, i.e.,
Clostridium and Bacillus species
• Bacillus species are prime spoilers in air-
packaged surimi seafood
 Figure 6. Microbial Flora of Vacuum-
Packed Flaked Surimi Crab Meat

100%
% Composition

80% Unknown
60% Gram-Negative
40% Gram-Positive
20%
0%
0 4 8 13 19
Days at 22oC (71.6o F)
 Figure 7a. Microbial Isolates From
o o
Surimi Crab Legs Stored at 15 C (59 F)

100%
% Composition

80%
60%
Other
40%
Pseudomonas
20% Bacillus
0%
0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Days of Storage
 Figure 7b. Microbial Isolates From
o o
Surimi Crab Legs Stored at 5 C (41 F)

100%
% Composition

80%
60%
Other
40%
Pseudomonas
20% Bacillus
0%
0 3 6 9 12 15 18
Days of Storage
 Figure 7c. Composition of Microbial
Isolates From Surimi Crab Legs Stored
o
at 0 C

100%
Composition

80%
60%
%

40% Other
20% Pseudomonas
0% Bacillus
0 7 14 21 28 35 42
Days of Storage
 Microbial Safety of Surimi
Seafood: Listeria
monocytogenes, Clostridium
botulinum and Other Bacteria
 L. monocytogenes
• 1988 surimi survey found 29% of samples
positive
• 1988 U.S. Class I recall of imitation crab meat
produced in Japan and distributed in three
states
 Table 1. Surimi Seafood Recalls Due to L.
monocytogenes
• Imitation crab meat products 7/28/99
• Imitation crab spread 9/17/97
• Imitation king crab legs 8/6/97
• Imitation crab meat chunks 6/12/96
• Imitation crab meat salad 9/30/92
• Seafood salad 7/2/92
 Clostridium botulinum
• Strict anaerobe
• Grows above 38°F
• No instances reported from surimi seafood
• C. botulinum type E and nonproteolytic types
B and F are the target bacteria for FDA’s
pasteurization processes
– 6-D process = 90°C (194°F) for 10 minutes
 Generation Times (Hours) for
Pathogens in Surimi Seafood
15oC 10oC 5oC 0oC
59oF 50oF 41oF 32oF
Aeromonas hydrophila 18 48 194 -
Salmonella species 11 34 - -
Staphylococcus aureus 29 46 - -
Yersinia enterocolitica 11 26 77 166
 Pasteurization Studies for Surimi
Seafood
• Inoculated pack studies with Enterococcus faecium
– 93°C (199.4°F) 5 minutes
– 85°C (185°F) for 15 minutes
– 75°C (167°F) for 15 minutes
• Yielded 6 log reduction of E. faecium
– Process also effective against C. botulinum Type E (85 and
93°C), L. monocytogenes, enteropathogenic E. coli,
Salmonella, Yersinia entercolitica, and Vibrio
• Ineffective against C. botulinum Type B
 Pasteurization Studies for Surimi
Seafood
Temperature Time D-Values
(min.) L.m. C.b.(E) C.b.(B)
93°C (199.4°F) 5 16,200 52 0.7
85°C (185°F) 15 5,400 24 0.6
75°C (167°F) 15 350 2.2 0.1
 Microbiological Implications of
Novel Surimi Processing
Technologies
• High pressure
– 200-400 MPa
– Effective against Vibrio, Listeria, Salmonella
– Ineffective against pressure resistant species and spore
forming Bacillus and Clostridium species
• Electron beam
– Untested
 HACCP and Surimi Seafood
• Preventive system of food safety control
• Based on
– Identified hazards
– Critical control points
– Monitoring records
 Metal Fragments
• Hard or sharp objects >7 mm in size are a potential
hazard from laceration, perforation wound, and
secondary infections
• Hard or sharp objects <7 mm in size are a possible
hazard for high risk (e.g., infants, elderly)
individuals
• Controls can include frequent inspections of
cutting, portioning, blending, or other mechanical
equipment for damage, or use of a metal detector
 Pasteurization
• Eliminates targeted pathogenic bacteria and also
extends product shelf life
• Pathogens in packaged products indicates
inadequate pasteurization, or post pasteurization
contamination, and time/temperature abuse
• Critical aspects: temperature of heating medium,
length of pasteurization cycle, package thickness,
package integrity, product formulation, and
microbial quality of the cooling medium
 Cooling
• Rapid cooling prevents growth from Bacillus
and Clostridium
• 60°C (140°F) to 21.1°C (70°F) in 2 hours
• To 4.4°C (40°F) within another 4 hours
 Refrigerated Storage
• Refrigerated storage below 4.4°C (40°F)
prevents growth of pathogens
 Microbial Recommendations for
Ready-to-eat Seafood
n c m M
Aerobic plate count 5 2 105 106
E. coli 5 1 11 500
S. aureus 5 0 103 -
V. parahaemolyticus 10 1 102 103
 FDA Tolerance Levels: Vacuum
Packaged Ready-to-eat Seafood
C. botulinum Presence of cells,
Enteropathogenic E. coli 103/g
L. monocytogenes Presence
Salmonella Presence
S. aureus 104/g or toxin positive
V. cholerae Presence
V. parahaemolyticus 104/g
V. vulnificus Presence
Microbiological Considerations in
Packaging of Surimi Seafood

• Nitrogen and carbon dioxide packaging

reduce fat and pigment oxidation and reduce
spoilage bacterial growth
• Aseptic packaging requires a sterile product
and may not be feasible
 New Surimi Seafood Products
Utilizing Fermentative Bacteria
• Fermented pollock kamaboko
– pH 4.5
– Sour tasting
• Fermented chum salmon surimi
• Sensory studies have not been conducted
 Reliability and Efficacy of Rapid
Microbiological Procedures
• Traditional methods
– APC with petri dishes or PetriFilm
• Rapid test kits for L. monocytogenes
– 1-2 days instead of 5-7 days
 Conclusion
• Surimi seafood Products are ready-to-eat
– Safety and quality concerns remain
– HACCP can help ensure a safe product
• The use of the term “pasteurization” should
be discouraged or the process needs to be
further studied