Bacteriological Assessment of Machine-Picked Meat of the Blue Crab ¹

The bacterial quality of meat of the blue crab, Callinectes sapidus , picked by the "Quik-Pik" machine was investigated, Microbiological analyses were made on samples taken at each step throughout the machine-pick operation to determine the effect of operating procedures on the bacterial content of the finished product. Liquid from the cooked crab cores collected in crevices on the machine head, producing high levels of bacterial growth that was inaccessible to the sanitizing agent, Vibration of the machine head during operation created an aerosol which contaminated the fresh picked meat as it dropped to collection trays or the conveyor belt. The aerosol was the major source of contamination, producing counts well in excess of 100,000/g in the finished product. When the machine was dried with forced hot air, after sanitizing and before machine operation, the counts dropped dramatically to levels well below the 100,000/g limit. The bacterial quality of machine-picked crabmeat using the dry sanitized machine compared favorably to hand-picked meat.