The microbial safety of ready-to-eat raw and cooked sausages in Poland: Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella spp. occurrence

The aim of the work was to evaluate the microbial safety of ready-to-eat meat products, which included pork sausages subjected to heat treatment, such as cooking and smoking, by producers (n = 1123) and raw sausages such as raw smoked pork sausages, mettwurst, tatar (n = 200). Analyzes were carried out for 3 years (2009, 2010, 2011). Samples were collected by veterinary inspectors under the official supervision (68%) and by individual producers (32%) according to HACCP plan. The occurrence of Listeria monocytogenes was noted in 5.3% of the samples (in 1.8% and 26.1% of cooked and raw sausages, respectively). Seasonal changes in the prevalence of L. monocytogenes occurred. Higher number of samples in which the bacteria was present was noted in spring and summer. Salmonella spp. was absent in 25 g of all 200 samples of raw sausages. The limit of 100 cfu/g of L. monocytogenes was not exceeded in any of tested (n = 75) samples of ready-to-eat sausages placed on the market at the end of their shelf life. It could be concluded that the microbial quality of ready-to-eat sausages on the Polish market is constantly improving and the veterinary inspections play an important role in the process.