Lebensmittelhygienische Untersuchungen von Sushi-Erzeugnissen und deren Ausgangsprodukten

Production of sushi from fresh or frozen fish, crustacean or molluscan shellfish does not cause hygienic problems if optimal hygienic conditions i.e. chill temperatures during slaughtering, catching, storage and preparation in the sushi-bars are sustained. The time period from production to consumption should be as short as possible. 87.6 % of 105 samples of sushi products examined were of good quality. Only for two sushi products total aerobic counts > 10 7 cfu/g were found (ICMSF maximum value). A high rate of products with low numbers of total aerobic bacteria was determined for raw materials in contrast to sushi products for which high rates with high numbers were found. This fact gives evidence for the increase of numbers of aerobic mesophilic bacteria during processing of raw fish. Listeria monocytogenes was detected by enrichment procedure in 1.9 % of sushi products and in 11.2 % of raw materials, mainly in salmon. Salmonella spp., E. coli or pathogenic Vibrio spp. were not detected. In two sushi products Staphylococcus aureus (< 10 3 cfu/g) were detected.