Isolation of Pectinolytic Aeromonas hydrophila and Yersinia enterocolitica from Vacuum-Packaged Pork ¹

A survey was made of commercially available vacuum-packaged fresh pork held at 5 C for 7, 14, 21 and 28 days. Also, four vacuum-packaged leg roasts were stored for 21 days at 5 C then for 90 days at -18 C before sampling. Surface cores of meat were enriched in sorbitol bile broth 21 days at 5 C to enhance recovery of Yersinia enterocolitica on pectin agar. Of the 54 samples surveyed, 20% yielded highly pectinolytic colonies of Aeromonas hydrophila that were cytotoxic to Y1 and HeLa cells, 6% yielded Y. enterocolitica and 6% yielded Yersinia intermedia . Yersinia was recovered from both fresh and frozen samples. This is believed to be the first report of pectinolysis by A. hydrophila and recovery of cytotoxic A. hydrophila from vacuum-packaged pork.