Enterobacteriaceae Count
Enterobacteriaceae is one of the gram-negative, rod-shaped and facultative anaerobes. They are mobile or immobile and do not form spores. This strain of bacteria causes a wide variety of diseases, including wound infections, urinary tract infections, meningitis, pneumonia and septicemia syndrome. It is everywhere around. They have been detected in soil, water, plants, and the gastrointestinal tract of animals and humans. Due to its widespread distribution, it easily contaminates the food chain. The Enterobacteriaceae family includes a number of important foodborne pathogens such as salmonella.In the food industry, enterobacteriaceae are often used as indicator organisms that indicate poor hygiene practices or the failure of a production process.
Members of the Enterobacteriaceae family are the bacterial species of greatest interest to food microbiology. Coliform bacteria, fecal coliforms, escherichia coli, salmonella and many bacterial species in this group are detected and counted in routine analyzes performed in food microbiology laboratories. Like these, the total enterobacteriaceae count is gaining more and more importance as a hygiene index.
A widely discussed issue in food controls is the relationship between enterobacteriaceae, total coliforms, fecal coliforms, and escherichia coli counts. If the total number of enterobacteriaceae is zero in the sample taken to the laboratory, the total number of coliforms, fecal coliforms and escherichia coli is also zero. Conversely, the absence of escherichia coli in the analyzed sample does not mean that the number of fecal coliforms, total coliforms, and total enterobacteriaceae will also be zero.
