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Abstracts
Workgroup: Public Health and Processing
The Effects of Freezing on Vibrio vulnificus in Whole and Half Shell Oysters
Principal Investigator(s):
Dorilz Mestey, University of Florida, Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Gainesville, FL
Co-Investigator(s):
T. Ballesteros and Gary E. Rodrick, University of Florida, Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Gainesville, FL, GERodrick@mail.ifas.ufl.edu
Funding Period: October 1, 1999-August 30, 2001
Numerous studies have demonstrated the persistence of Vibrio vulnificus in oysters during the harvest, processing, and storage in warm water months. This study investigated the effects of blast, CO2 and liquid nitrogen freezing on the V. vulnificus content in oysters stored at -10 F for 4 weeks. In addition, various thawing methods for the frozen oysters were investigated for the presence of V. vulnificus.
Two log reductions in V. vulnificus content were observed immediately after freezing of whole oyster or half shell oysters. Weekly analysis of V. vulnificus content during -10F storage of frozen whole and half shell oyster showed a steady decline in number. At 28 days, undetectable numbers were achieved for the CO2 frozen oysters, whereas a low number of oysters frozen using liquid nitrogen or blast freezing still showed low numbers of V. vulnificus. When 28 day CO2 frozen oysters were thawed by either microwave, overnight refrigeration, or force thawed with running water, V. vulnificus was not detected.
PROJECT PUBLICATIONS:
![[Maryland Sea Grant]](../mdsg_logo.gif){kind=logo}
![[NOAA]](../noaa_logo.gif){kind=logo}
![[Virginia Sea Grant]](../vasg_logo.gif){kind=logo}