Growth of Listeria monocytogenes on fresh fish fillets stored in a Styrofoam-free eco-friendly cold pack container
Main Article Content
Keywords
Cold storage, Listeria monocytogenes, Newly developed container box, First-order kinetic model, Fish fillet
Abstract
Seafood is usually stored in a refrigerated or frozen form; however, conventional cold packs (CCPs) provide limited cooling and may damage products. This study evaluated the growth of Listeria monocytogenes on vacuum-packed frozen mackerel (Scomber japonicus) fillets stored in conventional container boxes (CCBs) with CCPs and in newly developed container boxes (NDCBs) with newly developed cold packs (NDCPs). Fillets were spot inoculated (2.0–2.5 log CFU/g) and stored for 72 h. In CCBs with CCPs, counts increased from 2.79–3.95 log CFU/g at 2–24 h, reaching 4.94–7.95 log CFU/g at 36–72 h. In NDCBs with NDCPs, counts rose to 2.64 log CFU/g at 24 h (1.02 log CFU/g increase), followed by 1.41–3.74 log CFU/g increase at 36–72 h. The difference between systems was ~1 log CFU/g at 48 h, increasing to 1.48 log CFU/g at 72 h. Growth data (24–72 h) were fitted to a first-order kinetic model, yielding D-values of 36.47 min (y = 0.0802x + 0.3127) for CCBs with CCPs and 41.70 min (y = 0.0565x + 0.1400) for NDCBs with NDCPs. These results evidenced that NDCBs with NDCPs reduced growth of L. monocytogenes by improving temperature control, demonstrating potential for safer seafood transport.
References
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Skandamis, P.N. 2025. “Growth predictor”: a new predictive modelling and quantitative microbial risk assessment tool. Food Research International 209: 116329. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodres.2025.116329
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World Health Organization (WHO). 2007. Food safety issues associated with products from aquaculture. Technical Report Series No. 883. WHO, Geneva, Switzerland.
Wu, V.C.H. 2008. A review of microbial injury and recovery methods in food. Food Microbiology 25(6): 735–744. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fm.2008.04.011
Amaral, R.A., Pinto, C.A., Lima, V., Tavares, J., Martins, A.P., Fidalgo, L.G., Silva, A.M., Gil, M.M., Teixeira, P., Barbosa, J., Barba, F.J. and Saraiva, J.A. 2021. Chemical-based methodologies to extend the shelf life of fresh fish—a review. Foods 10(10): 2300. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods10102300
Baranyi, J. and Roberts, T.A. 1994. A dynamic approach to predicting bacterial growth in food. International Journal of Food Microbiology 23(3–4): 277–294. https://doi.org/10.1016/0168-1605(94)90157-0
Barnes, D., Galgani, F., Thompson, R. and Barlaz, M. 2009. Accumulation and fragmentation of plastic debris in global environments. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 364(1526): 1985–1998. https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2008.0205
Berk, Z. 2018. Food Process Engineering and Technology, 3rd ed. Academic Press, Cambridge, MA, pp. 79–126 and 399–438.
Choi, M.H., Park, Y.J., Kim, M., Seo, Y.H., Kim, Y.A., Choi, J.Y., Yong, D., Jeong, S.H. and Lee, K. 2018. Increasing incidence of listeriosis and infection-associated clinical outcomes. Annals of Laboratory Medicine 38(2): 102–109. https://doi.org/10.3343/alm.2018.38.2.102
Cropotova, J., Mozuraityte, R., Standal, I.B. and Rustad, T. 2019. Assessment of lipid oxidation in Atlantic mackerel (Scomber scombrus) subjected to different antioxidant and sous-vide cooking treatments by conventional and fluorescence microscopy methods. Food Control 104: 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodcont.2019.04.016
Deng, Z., Li, W., Song, Y., Wen, H., Zhang, Y., Du, Y., Wang, Y., Huang, C. and Chen, J. 2025. Assessing the growth dynamics of Listeria monocytogenes and microbiota in RTE poultry: a combined BP-ANN and traditional approach. International Journal of Food Microbiology 438: 111221. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2025.111221
European Commission. 2025a. Packaging and packaging waste regulation (PPWR). Available at: https://environment.ec.europa.eu/topics/waste-and-recycling/packaging-waste_en (Accessed: 15 January 2025).
European Commission. 2025b. Circular Economy – Environment. Available at: https://environment.ec.europa.eu/strategy/circular-economy_en (Accessed: 24 January 2025).
European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). 2015. Scientific opinion on the evaluation of the temperature to be applied in the fish distribution chain. EFSA Journal 13(7): 4162. Available at: https://doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2015.4162 (Accessed: 18 January 2025).
European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). 2017. The European Union summary report on trends and sources of zoonoses, zoonotic agents and food-borne outbreaks in 2016. EFSA Journal 15(12): 5077.
European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). 2023. The European Union One Health 2022 Zoonoses Report. EFSA Journal 21: e8442.
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). 2014. The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture: Opportunities and Challenges. FAO, Rome, Italy, 243 p. Available at: http://www.fao.org/3/a-i3720e.pdf (Accessed: 15 March 2025).
Foucat, L., Taylor, R.G., Labas, R. and Renou, J.P. 2001. Characterization of frozen fish by NMR imaging and histology. American Laboratory 33(16): 38–43.
Gambarin, P., Magnabosco, C., Losio, M.N., Pavoni, E., Gattuso, A., Arcangeli, G. and Favretti, M. 2012. Listeria monocytogenes in ready-to-eat seafood and potential hazards for the consumers. International Journal of Microbiology 2012: 497635. https://doi.org/10.1155/2012/497635
Goja, A.M., Ahmed, T.A.A., Saeed, S.A.M. and Dirar, H.A. 2016. The cold chain—transport, storage, retail. In: Refrigeration, Air Conditioning and Heat Pumps, 5th ed. pp. 273–287.
Gonzales-Barron, U., Cadavez, V., Mota, J.O., Guillier, L. and Sanaa, M. 2024a. A critical review of risk assessment models for Listeria monocytogenes in seafood. Foods 13(5): 716. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13050716
Gonzales-Barron, U., Pouillot, R., Skjerdal, T., Carrasco, E., Teixeira, P., Stasiewicz, M.J., Hasegawa, A., De Oliveira Mota, J., Guillier, L., Cadavez, V. and Sanaa, M. 2024b. A quantitative risk assessment model for Listeria monocytogenes in ready-to-eat smoked and gravad fish. Foods 13(23): 3831. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13233831
Hussain, S., Akhter, R. and Maktedar, S.S. 2024. Advancements in sustainable food packaging: from eco-friendly materials to innovative technologies. Sustainable Food Technology 2(5): 1297–1364. https://doi.org/10.1039/d4fb00084f
Korea Health Industry Development Institute. 2020. National food & nutrition statistics 2013. Available at: https://faolex.fao.org/docs/pdf/sam158398.pdf (Accessed: 11 March 2025).
Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA). 2023. Average temperature for the last 30 years in Korea. Available at: https://www.weather.go.kr/w/index.do (Accessed: 19 March 2025)
Lambrechts, K. and Rip, D. 2024. Listeria monocytogenes in the seafood industry: exploring contamination sources, outbreaks, antibiotic susceptibility, and genetic diversity. MicrobiologyOpen 13: e003. https://doi.org/10.1002/mbo3.70003
Li, W., Wang, Q., Deng, Z., Du, Y., Song, Y., Xu, T., Shan, L. and Chen, J. 2025. Integrating kinetic models and BP-ANN for predicting growth and shelf-life of Listeria monocytogenes in ready-to-eat salads. Food Science and Technology (LWT) 221: 117607. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lwt.2025.117607
Nam, J.W., Oh, S.R., Koh, H.B., Won, S.H., Jung, M.J., Han, A.R., Kim, B.M. and Jun, J.W. 2022. Changes in the physicochemical properties of olive flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus) fillets during storage in a high-voltage electrostatic field-refrigeration system. Korean Journal of Food Preservation 29(6): 884–894. https://doi.org/10.11002/kjfp.2022.29.6.884
Novoslavskij, A., Terentjeva, M., Eizenberga, I., Valciņa, O., Bartkevičs, V. and Bērziņš, A. 2016. Major foodborne pathogens in fish and fish products: a review. Annals of Microbiology 66: 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13213-015-1102-5
Park, H.J., Lee, J.E., Kim, S.A. and Shim, W.B. 2020. Changes in internal and external temperature and microbiological contamination depending on consumer behavior after purchase of fresh-cut produces. Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety 35(5): 459–467. https://doi.org/10.13103/JFHS.2020.35.5.459
Perera, K.Y., Jaiswal, A.K. and Jaiswal, S. 2023. Biopolymer-based sustainable food packaging materials: challenges, solutions, and applications. Foods 12(12): 2422. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12122422
Sheng, L. and Wang, L. 2021. The microbial safety of fish and fish products: recent advances in understanding its significance, contamination sources, and control strategies. Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety 20(1): 738–786. https://doi.org/10.1111/1541-4337.12671
Skandamis, P.N. 2025. “Growth predictor”: a new predictive modelling and quantitative microbial risk assessment tool. Food Research International 209: 116329. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodres.2025.116329
Song, E.J., Kim, J.Y., Lee, S.Y., Kim, K.B.W.R., Kim, S.J. and Yoon, S.Y. 2009. Effect of roasted ground coffee residue extract on shelf-life and quality of salted mackerel. Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition 38(6): 780–786. https://doi.org/10.3746/jkfn.2009.38.6.780
Tiensuu, T., Guerreiro, D.N., Oliveira, A.H., O’Byrne, C. and Johansson, J. 2019. Flick of a switch: regulatory mechanisms allowing Listeria monocytogenes to transition from a saprophyte to a killer. Microbiology 165(8): 819–833. https://doi.org/10.1099/mic.0.000808
US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). 2021. Fish and Fishery Products Hazards and Controls Guidance, 4th ed. US Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, DC. Available at: https://www.fda.gov/food/seafood-guidance-documents-regulatory-information/fish-and-fishery-products-hazards-and-controls (Accessed: 1 February 2025).
UK Health Protection Agency. 2009. Ready-to-eat foods: microbiological safety assessment guidelines. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ready-to-eat-foods-microbiological-safety-assessment-guidelines (Accessed: 4 February 2025).
World Health Organization (WHO). 2007. Food safety issues associated with products from aquaculture. Technical Report Series No. 883. WHO, Geneva, Switzerland.
Wu, V.C.H. 2008. A review of microbial injury and recovery methods in food. Food Microbiology 25(6): 735–744. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fm.2008.04.011
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