Browsing by Author "Uusitalo, Mari"

Cronobacter spp. are opportunistic human pathogens. They can cause infections in infants and illness in older children and adults. There is also a high case fatality rate. Cronobacter spp. are found in dried foods, such as powdered infant formulas and Cronobacter spp. have caused serious cases of infection in worldwide. Therefore, Cronobacter spp. should not be present in powdered infant formulas that reach consumers. Cronobacter do not survive heat treatment. It is therefore likely that Cronobacter will migrate to the product from the environment or from heat-sensitive nutrients added after pasteurization. The data for the study was collected from the production control systems of the powder plants. Data was used for the period 2018-2020. Two powder plants, Plant A and Plant B were compared. Cronobacter results of environmental were compared with different climate variables using regression analysis, for example. Statistical analysis was performed with Minitab software. It was investigated whether the positive Cronobacter results were related to the microbiological results in the products. One subject of the review was whether seasonal variability was present in Cronobacter environmental samples. It was also examined whether explanatory factors were found for the Cronobacter results of individual targets. Based on the results of the study, there was no clear relationship between positive environmental sample results and weather conditions. Seasonal variation is also unrelated to environmental sample results. There was no statistical association between positive Cronobacter environmental results and microbiological results of the products. When examining the sampling targets, most of the positive results were found in the floor sampling targets. Based on the results, it would be a good idea to consider whether it is necessary to make changes in the hygiene areas or tighten the hygiene requirements. The use of additional shoe covers should be on option, for example. The prevention of Cronobacter in the environment is particularly important. Possible contamination of the products poses not only health risks but also financial damage. Rejection of production batches due to Cronobacter contamination can be economically significant.