Isolation and Identification of Some Pathogens From Minced Meat Samples

This study was conducted to determine the presence and contamination levels of total aerobic mesophilic bacteria, S. aureus, L. monocytogenes, Salmonella spp.and E. coli O157:H7 in 100 samples of minced meat, which were retailed fresh in the markets of Erzurum using Classical Culture Method and Automatic Identification System (Vitek 2). Average numbers of aerobic mesophilic bacteria were 7.33±0.12 log kob/g in tested minced meat samples. S. aureus was isolated from 5 of the 100 minced meat samples. L. monocytogenes was isolated from 24 of the 100 minced meat samples. Salmonella was not detected in any sample. It was determined 3 of 100 minced meat samples were positive for E. coli O157:H7. The results of this study suggest that the prevalence of pathogens in raw minced meat is relatively high and the product can be a potential risk for public health.