Procedures for Recovery of Stressed and Injured Cells of Yersinia Enterocolitica from Meat and Meat Products

Abstract

A new three-step procedure (TSP) for the recovery of Yersinia enterocolitica 0:3 from frozen meat, salted and dried meat products, raw dried meat products, and cooked perishable sausages, has been developed. The TSP is based mainly on enrichment in 0.15 M phosphate-buffered saline at 25°C. In the TSP, selected dilutions of samples are enriched for 1, 2, 3, 4, 24, and 48 h and then plated onto nonselective and selective agar media after or without alkali treatment. Additional enrichment was performed with half of the samples at 25°C for 24 h, and the rest at 4°C for up to 2 wk, followed by alkali treatment and plating on selective agar medium. Recovery of Y. enterocolitica was better using the TSP than the other method used for isolating the organism from meats.