Food Standards Agency
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Listen to this siteWednesday 25 June 2003
This research project will investigate the risk of transfer of salmonella from the egg shell during food preparation.
Study Duration : September 2000 to September 2003
Contractor : London Metropolitan University (formerly University of North London)
It is likely that with the vast majority of contaminated eggs the organism is on, rather than in, the egg. Although there is an obvious cross contamination risk from this external contamination, there is minimal information available to allow an assessment of this risk to be made.
This project aims to consider the survival behaviour of salmonella strains on the surface of the egg and the extent to which transfer from the egg shell occurs during handling and food preparation. These factors will be investigated by determining the survival of salmonella at different temperatures and relative humidities and the extent of transfer to hands, into egg contents on breaking and onto food preparation and egg storage surfaces. The possibility that salmonella enter a putative “viable non-recoverable” state during survival on eggs will also be investigated.
This project aimed to consider the survival behaviour of salmonella strains on the surface of the egg and the extent to which transfer from the eggshell occurs during handling and food preparation. Survival studies gave variable results but the numbers of organisms which survived on the eggshell generally declined over time. However, it was never possible to say that salmonella was not present. The possibility that a small number of cells enter a viable non-recoverable (VNR) state on the eggshell was also investigated and shown to not be the general pattern of behaviour. Studies concerning transfer of salmonella from the eggshell into egg contents on breaking, to gloved hands and onto simulated work surfaces showed that, in all cases, transfer rates were relatively high, with transfer to gloved hands being 90-100% under moist conditions. Transfer into the egg contents on breaking and onto simulated work surfaces was also high, although rates were generally lower than onto gloved hands.
Final report is available from the FSA Library and Information centre.
To obtain a copy, please contact the Enquiry Desk, Library and Information Services, Food Standards Agency ( Tel: 020 7276 8181/8182 ) or by e-mail to:
library&info@foodstandards.gsi.gov.uk
).
Contact
: For any enquiries concerning this research project, please contact the relevant Programme contact or e-mail:
science@foodstandards.gsi.gov.uk
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