2. Universidad Cardenal Herrera-CEU

The population dynamic of constitutive biota on 84 samples belonging to two different types of French fermented dry sausages during the ripening process in a pilot-scale ripening chamber was investigated. Samples were analyzed in three steps of their production: fresh product, first drying stage, and finished product. In addition, 180 strains of lactic acid bacteria were identified using a miniaturized biochemical procedure of characterization. In general, the number of lactic acid bacteria that evolved during the ripening process of French dry sausages increased during the first days of the process after which the number of these organisms remained constant at approximately 8 log CFU/g. Lactobacillus sakei and Pediococcus pentosaceus, bacteria added as starter, were the dominant species. Pediococcus urinaeequi, Pediococcus acidilactici, and particularly Lactobacillus curvatus were also present. Finally, we have to take into account that the controlled conditions of the pilot plant generally contribute to the homogenization of the behavior of the starter biota.

Mediterranean mussel (Mytilus galloprovincialis) is a species of bivalve mollusk that has a high capacity in filtering the water nearby and concentrate the virus and bacteria present in it. This can constitute a microbiological risk when they are consumed afterwards. Thus, depending on water pollution, mussels suffer a depuration process, usually controlled using Escherichia coli as indicator. The aim of this study was to determine the microbiological quality of mussels from various sources after purifying, and to consider the utility of the use of Clostridium perfringens as quality indicator. For this, microbiological analysis were performed in fifteen lots of mussel samples obtained from Spain and Italy. Aerobic mesophilic microorganisms, Enterobacteriaceae, E. coli, Vibrio spp., Listeria monocytogenes, Cl. perfringens, and the presence Salmonella spp. were measured. The results showed the presence of Salmonella spp. in four batches of mussels from various locations and Cl. perfringrens in thirteen of them. All samples were within the legal limits for E. coli. In conclusion, the results propose that the use of E. coli as an indicator microorganism for the mussels' depuration process is not sufficient to assure the microbiological quality of the product. Thus, it would be appropriate to include of Cl. perfringens, as an additional indicator, in the control carried out during and after the refinement is done. Finally, the results emphasized the necessity to properly cook this food product prior to consumption, as it allows the destruction of any microorganisms present.

Vultures are nature's most successful scavengers, feeding on the carcasses of dead animals present in the field. Availability of domestic carrion has been unstable due to rapidly changing agro-grazing economies and increasing sanitary regulations that may require burial or burning of livestock carcasses. Thus, several griffon vulture (Gyps fulvus) recoveries are based on European legislation that guarantees the animals' welfare, avoids intense persecution of the vultures and allows the feeding of threatened wildlife in supplementary feeding stations (SFS). However, in recent years, many studies have speculated on the likelihood that avian scavengers may be infected by feeding on pig carcasses at SFS from intensive livestock. In this context, the present study evaluated whether free-living griffon vultures and pig farms share zoonotic Salmonella strains to test the hypothesis that vulture are infected during consumption of carcasses provided at SFS. Here, the occurrence, serotypes and genomic DNA fingerprinting (phage typing and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis) of isolated strains were carried out in griffon vultures and pig farms authorised to provided carcasses at SFS in Castellón province (eastern Spain). The bacteriological analyses revealed that 21.1% of vultures and 14.5% for pig farms samples tested were Salmonella-positive. Monophasic S. typhimurium 1,4,[5],12:i:- was the most frequently isolated serovar. Comparison of Salmonella strains isolated from vultures and pig farms revealed that monophasic S. typhimurium 1,4,[5],12:i:-, S. Derby and S. Rissen strains were highly genetically homogeneous (similar DNA fingerprint). In conclusion, the current study indicates that free-living griffon vultures and pig farms that provide the carcasses at SFS share several zoonotic Salmonella strains. On this basis, and although transmission could be bidirectional, our result seems to corroborate the pig carcasses-to-vulture transmission and cross-infection at SFS. As an immediate Salmonella control strategy in wild avian scavengers, we suggest the implementation of a programme to guarantee that solely pig carcasses from Salmonella-free farms arrive at SFS.