title: Bacterial contamination in Saeng-go-gi, a ready-to-eat fresh raw beef dish sold in restaurants in South Korea.
abstract: This study investigated the bacterial contamination levels in ready-to-eat fresh raw beef, Saeng-go-gi in Korean, sold in restaurants. A total of 462 samples were analyzed by performing an aerobic bacterial plate count, a coliform count, and an Escherichia coli O157:H7 count. Aerobic bacterial plate counts of fresh raw beef obtained from Seoul, Cheonan, Daegu, Gunsan, and Gwangju retail store restaurants were 6.46, 6.89, 6.39, 6.58, and 6.67 log CFU/g, respectively, and coliforms were 4.05, 4.97, 4.76, 3.62, and 3.32 log CFU/g, respectively. Among the 462 assessed samples, suspected E. coli O157:H7 colonies were found in 32, 24, 20, 22, and 16 samples obtained from Seoul, Cheonan, Daegu, Gunsan, and Gwangju, respectively. The identity of these isolated colonies was further assessed by using a latex agglutination kit. The agglutination assay data showed that the isolates were not E. coli O157:H7. The data from this study could be used to design better food handling practices for reducing foodborne illnesses linked to fresh raw beef consumption.
authors.affiliation: Department of Food and Nutrition, Kunsan National University, Gunsan, Jeonbuk, 573-701, Korea.
authors.forename: Myoung Su
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Division of Livestock Product Standard, Animal, Plant and Fisheries Quarantine and Inspection Agency, 175 Anyangro, Anyang, Gyeonggi, 430-824, South Korea.
authors.forename: Jin San
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Moon
authors.affiliation: Ewen Todd Consulting, 4183 Indian Glen Drive, Okemos, Michigan 48864, USA.
authors.forename: Ewen C D
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Todd
authors.affiliation: Department of Food and Nutrition, Kunsan National University, Gunsan, Jeonbuk, 573-701, Korea. bahk@kunsan.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Gyung Jin
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Bahk
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001420:Bacteria, Aerobic; D002417:Cattle; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D019453:Escherichia coli O157 / Q000302:isolation & purification; D057140:Fast Foods / Q000382:microbiology*; D005506:Food Contamination / Q000032:analysis; D005511:Food Handling; D005516:Food Microbiology; D005517:Foodborne Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control; D008460:Meat / Q000382:microbiology*; D012147:Restaurants; D066106:Seoul