Accepted Safe Food-Handling Procedures Minimizes Microbial Contamination of Home-Prepared Blenderized Tube-Feeding

Area of Science:

• Clinical Nutrition
• Food Safety
• Microbiology

Background:

• Increasing prevalence of home enteral nutrition (HEN) patients.
• Growing patient interest in blenderized tube-feeding (BTF) as an alternative to commercial enteral formula (CEF).
• Concerns regarding the risk of foodborne illness associated with BTF.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate a standardized procedure for minimizing bacterial growth in home-prepared BTF.
• To assess the microbial safety of BTF prepared using established food handling techniques.

Main Methods:

• Fifty participants prepared BTF in a home setting following a standardized protocol.
• Microbial analysis included aerobic microorganisms, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and coliforms.
• Samples were tested at baseline, 24 hours, and 48 hours post-preparation (150 total CFU counts).

Main Results:

• No samples were entirely free of aerobic microorganisms.
• Microbial counts did not substantially increase over 48 hours.
• 10-12% of samples exceeded 10^4 CFU at baseline/24 hours and 48 hours, respectively; 1.3% exceeded 10^5 CFU/mL.

Conclusions:

• 88% of BTF samples met US Food Code safety criteria.
• Established safe food-handling procedures effectively minimize bacterial contamination in home-prepared BTF.
• Implementing these procedures can significantly reduce the risk of foodborne infections in HEN patients.