Characterisation of alheiras, traditional sausages produced in the North of Portugal, with respect to their microbiological safety

Vânia Ferreira, Joana Barbosa, Joana Silva, Maria Teresa Felício, Cristina Mena, Tim Hogg, Paul Gibbs, Paula Teixeira*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

47 Citations (Scopus)
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Abstract

The objective of this study was the characterisation of alheiras, traditional Portuguese sausages, with respect to their microbiological safety. Thirty-eight lots from 17 producers were analysed. The microbiological status of the analysed product can be considered of concern in terms of food safety. Although Campylobacter spp. and Escherichia coli O157 were not detected in any sample, and Clostridium perfringens when present was not at levels of concern with reference to public health, Salmonella spp. were detected in 2 lots of industrially produced alheiras, and more than 60% of the lots analysed were contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes in concentrations higher than 100 cfu/g.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)436-440
Number of pages5
JournalFood Control
Volume18
Issue number5
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - May 2007

Keywords

  • Alheira
  • Fermented sausages
  • Pathogens

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