Efficacy of sanitizing procedures applied in Tilapia-processing facilities: evaluation of environmental-friendly alternatives

Abstract

An important increase in the production of fishery products was observed in Brazil in the last decade, particularly in cultured fishes such as Tilapia. However, this intensification in fish production has not been always followed by proper measures of food safety, which can increase the risk of food intoxications and, subsequently, generate considerable economic costs and a wide impact in public opinion. Therefore, the main objective of the present project is optimize sanitizing procedures applied in the Tilapia industry to reduce the risk of bacterial contamination as well as the environmental impact of biocides used. With this aim, the incidence of major food-borne bacterial pathogens (Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella spp., Staphylococcus aureus and thermotolerant Escherichia coli) will be firstly assessed in two Tilapia-processing facilities of the State of São Paulo, one of the major production areas in Brazil. Afterwards, the prevalence of these pathogens will be determined in terms of biofilm formation and resistance to sodium hypochlorite (the biocide most commonly applied in the food industry). Finally, the efficacy of environmental-friendly alternatives will be evaluated to enhance the control of bacterial biofilms formed on fishery-processing plants and reduce the current environmental impact. The present work represents an extension of the cooperation between Brazilian research groups of USP and Embrapa with the IIM-CSIC in Spain. This cooperation will consist in the implementation of innovative and environmental-friendly sanitizing procedures in the fishery industry, data acquisition, publication of international articles, training of highly qualified human resources and teaching these innovations during graduate classes at ESALQ-USP. (AU)