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Hygiene Food Safety
Newsletter April 2019

This month we take a look at our eggs. Are they safe from Salmonella

Eggs And Salmonella : How Safe Are Our Eggs?

Chicken eggs are probably the least well treated protein in the kitchen and food industry as a whole. It is the only protein that is commonly left out at ambient temperature in the retail stores.

Salmonella is synonymous with chicken, eggs and Salmonella is one of the most common food poisoning bacteria throughout the world. So why are our eggs handled in this way?

Salmonella enteritidis

S.enteritidis is the disease causing species that causes salmonellosis. S.enteritidis is a gram-negative, rod-shaped bacteria.

S.enteritidis species are like E.coli and can be considered the big brother of Salmonella. They are similar because they cause infection in the same ways. Especially via the fecal-oral route. Salmonella is also thought to be one of the major causes of traveler’s diarrhoea.

E.coli are tougher than Salmonella because they can survive harsher conditions. Such as higher temperatures, lower moisture and higher salt contents.

Food microbiologists say that if there is E.coli present you are likely to have Salmonella as well. But this does not mean that we shouldn’t be concerned about Salmonella.In fact this bacteria is most infamous for contamination of eggs rather than red meats and in the gut.

Chocolate has also had cases of contaminated with S.enteritidis. In general we expect E.coli to be present in red meats, and Salmonella in chicken. Yet, E.coli is also present in chicken as well as fruits and vegetables. So focusing on eradicating E.coli will usually address Salmonella as well.

Salmonellosis is likely one of the most common forms of food poisoning throughout the world.

Eggs need to be pasteurised

Eggs are pasteurised in order to reduce the risk of causing food poisoning, especially Salmonella Enteritidis bacteria and Avian Influenza virus that may be present on or inside the eggs. Because eggs have a protective shell, once pasteurised, eggs are then considered free from pathogenic bacteria.

Eggs are laid in an environment where hens’ excretion and airborne bacteria may be present. This means that bacteria can be present on the egg shells. Bacteria from the environment can enter the pores on the egg shell if the natural protective layer if breached.

Bacteria can also be found inside an egg as bacteria can be passed on to the egg during egg formation if the hen laying the egg is infected by Salmonella Enteritidis. 

Yet, it is true that if the pasteurisation process is not done correctly, harmful bacteria can still survive. This is when leaving eggs out at ambient temperature creates the ideal environment for bacteria such as Salmonella to grow to high numbers.

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Tips for Improving Quality And Hygiene For Catering Services

Over the last few years, there has been a trend of chefs moving away from larger catering services to small one or two-man operations. Going it alone for a chef does present its own challenges as any entrepreneur will tell you. There isn’t any easy way to go about it.

What we’ve found over the years, is that these ‘start-ups’ often tend to forget that in order to get good contracts there are some quality standards, including hygiene and food safety requirements...

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When To Change Deep Frying Oil

Frying oils undergo chemical changes during heating, exposure to light as well as storage. This is the chemical nature of oil products.

These changes lead to oils breaking down into toxic chemical...

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Need Food Safety Training? Check out our book on "Food Safety For The Kitchen" on Amazon.com. This book covers the Bacteria Basics, The Food Safety Pillars and a bonus chapter on the Listeriosis Outbreak in South Africa. Known as as the largest Outbreak in Recorded History. 
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