Detection of listeria SPP in typical cooked and cured meat products: analysis of the hygiene process and food safety criteria in “Ready-to-eat food” in compliance with European law

The presence of Listeria spp. in the food industry is very common. Moreover L. monocytogenes is an important foodborne pathogen with a persistent ability to form biofilm matrices in the food processing environments. Good manufacturing practices, appropriate cleaning, sanification and hygiene programs and effective temperature control throughout the food production, distribution and storage chain are required for prevention of contamination or inhibition of growth of L. monocytogenes to levels exceeding 100 cfu/g in foods that may pose a L. monocytogenes risk. The aim of the survey is to estimate the prevalence of Listeria spp. in the cooked and cured meat, in surface sponges before production and in samples selected on a random basis during production. The results of the analysis studied in this survey are very satisfactory because the absence of L. monocytogenes was confirmed in all the samples. In conclusion, the data obtained, about the dynamics of L. monocytogenes in artificially contaminated cured meat show the reduction of the pathogen.