Prevalence of Listeria species in ice creams sold in the cities of Kahramanmaraş and Adana

Abstract

In this study, the prevalence of Listeria spp. was investigated in the ice cream samples collected from the downtown stores of Kahramanmaras (28 samples) and Adana (30 samples). A total of 58 ice cream samples were analysed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) two-stage enrichment techniques. Growth of Listeria spp. was determined in 14 (24.1%) of the samples collected from Kahramanmaras and 10 (17.2%) samples from Adana. The results of the biochemical tests revealed that the bacterial growth in the samples from Kahramanmaras was Listeria grayi whereas 8 (13.8%) samples of Adana were Listeria grayi, the other two samples being Listeria innocua and Listeria welshimeri. In this study, Listeira monocytogenes, a pathogenic bacteria which exists in the ice cream products manufactured using sheep and goat milk, could not be isolated. The overall incidence of Listeria species in raw milk was 41.4%. Listeria grayi was the most frequently isolated bacteria and was found in 37.9% (22/58) of the ice cream samples. In contrast, Listeria innocua and Listeria welshimeri were each determined in 1.7% (1/58) of the samples. The presence of other species of Listeria was not found in the samples under investigation. The findings of this study suggest that Listeria infections are not a potential risk in Kahramanmaraş and Adana, but it is strongly recommended that these products are monitored carefully.

In this study, the prevalence of Listeria spp. was investigated in the ice cream samples collected from the downtown stores of Kahramanmaras (28 samples) and Adana (30 samples). A total of 58 ice cream samples were analysed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) two-stage enrichment techniques. Growth of Listeria spp. was determined in 14 (24.1%) of the samples collected from Kahramanmaras and 10 (17.2%) samples from Adana. The results of the biochemical tests revealed that the bacterial growth in the samples from Kahramanmaras was Listeria grayi whereas 8 (13.8%) samples of Adana were Listeria grayi, the other two samples being Listeria innocua and Listeria welshimeri. In this study, Listeira monocytogenes, a pathogenic bacteria which exists in the ice cream products manufactured using sheep and goat milk, could not be isolated. The overall incidence of Listeria species in raw milk was 41.4%. Listeria grayi was the most frequently isolated bacteria and was found in 37.9% (22/58) of the ice cream samples. In contrast, Listeria innocua and Listeria welshimeri were each determined in 1.7% (1/58) of the samples. The presence of other species of Listeria was not found in the samples under investigation. The findings of this study suggest that Listeria infections are not a potential risk in Kahramanmaraş and Adana, but it is strongly recommended that these products are monitored carefully.