AUTHOR=Romero-Gil Verónica , Medina Eduardo , Garrido-Fernández Antonio , Arroyo-López Francisco Noé 

TITLE=Foodborne Pathogen Survival in Commercial Aloreña de Málaga Table Olive Packaging

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Microbiology

VOLUME=9

YEAR=2018

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2018.02471

DOI=10.3389/fmicb.2018.02471

ISSN=1664-302X

ABSTRACT=<p>This study presents an approach to determine the survival of diverse foodborne pathogens (<italic>Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria monocytogenes</italic>, and <italic>Salmonella enterica</italic>) in three <italic>Aloreña de Málaga</italic> table olive commercial presentations (fresh green, traditional, and cured olives). The microbial survival in this green natural table olive speciality was fit using a log-linear regression model implemented in GInaFIT. The contents of sugars, phenolic compounds, additives, salt, pH, and levels of autochthonous microorganisms differed among presentations and affected the survival of microorganisms. The inoculated initial populations of pathogens (7–8 log<sub>10</sub> CFU/mL brine) decreased rapidly and, 48 h after inoculation, their counts were always below the detection limit (&lt;1.3 log<sub>10</sub> CFU/mL), except for <italic>S. aureus</italic> in the fresh green presentation which was ∼ 5.0 log<sub>10</sub> CFU/mL. The highest maximum death rates (<italic>k<sub>max</sub></italic>) and lowest periods for 4 log<sub>10</sub> reductions (<italic>4Dr</italic>) were observed in cured olives but decreased and increased, respectively, from the traditional to the fresh green presentations. <italic>L. monocytogenes</italic> and <italic>S. aureus</italic> were the most resistant species. The multivariate analysis showed that high concentrations of compounds released from the olives (sugars and phenols) were positively associated to <italic>4Dr</italic> and negatively to <italic>k<sub>max</sub></italic>. Conversely, the presence of preservatives reduced <italic>4Dr</italic>. This study, executed in commercial products, pointed out that packaged table olives are adverse habitats for foodborne pathogens with their effects being presentation dependent. The survival of <italic>S. aureus</italic> was particularly long in green fresh <italic>Aloreña de Málaga</italic> table olives packaged without preservatives; therefore, its changes in this presentation still requires further in-deep research.</p>