Performance of Several Enrichment Media in the Isolation of Salmonellae from Liquid Egg Products

Ninety-seven samples of raw liquid whole egg and egg yolk were analyzed for the presence of Salmonella ; 51 samples (52%) were found positive. A comparative study was conducted on the performance of seven selective enrichment procedures in the isolation of Salmonella from liquid egg products: selenite-cystine broth incubated at 37°C and 43°C, Muller-Kauffmann tetrathionate broth at 43°C, modified Rappaport medium RIO/100 and RIO/10 also incubated at 43°C, the experimental broth of Greenwood et al. incubated at 37° and 43°C. The best results were obtained with tetrathionate broth which detected 96% of all positive samples. Differences in the rate of isolation by the tetrathionate broth, selenite-cystine broth, modified Rappaport medium RIO/100 and the experimental broth of Greenwood et al., all incubated at 43°C, were not significant as determined by paired χ² test. Minor results were obtained with selenite-cystine broth and the experimental broth of Greenwood et al., both incubated at 37°C. Modified Rappaport medium RIO/100 proved to be more efficient than RIO/10.