Purpose: The purpose of this study was to map the microbiological profile of selected Caribbean foods over an eleven-year period, 2004 through 2014. Samples evaluated included dairy and meat products, beverages, produce, sauces, prepared meals, coleslaw, salads and seafood.
Methods: Total aerobic plate counts (TAPC), Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella sp., and Clostridium perfringens, where relevant, were determined for 28,527 food and environmental samples, as was the microbiological quality of the production environment in selected production facilities. The number of samples exceeding acceptable limits and those found to be presumptively positive for selected pathogens for samples assessed by traditional and AOAC-accredited rapid methods were determined. Organisms resulting in presumptive positive findings for Salmonella and L. monocytogenes determined by the Reveal and traditional methods were also identified.
Results: Of the samples surveyed, 27,357 (95.9%) were within acceptable limits for the parameters assessed while 1,173 samples (4.1%) were not. For TAPC, 726 (10.3% of samples assessed) exceeded their respective limits. Of samples assessed for E. coli, Salmonella, and L. monocytogenes, 154 (4.1%), 28 (1.5%) and 26 (1.2%), respectively, were positive. For samples assessed for Salmonella and L. monocytogenes by the Reveal method that were found to be negative, Enterobacter spp. and Enterococcus sp. and L. innocua, respectively, were the major organisms found.
Significance: Caribbean foods assessed over the period demonstrated a low level of contamination with pathogens and excellent compliance with globally accepted microbiological limits. For Salmonella, L. monocytogenes and C. perfringens, food samples showed increasing compliance over time.