Food Poisoning Bacteria Safety Evaluation in the Sea squirt(Halocynthia roretzi) Distributed through Online Markets

This study assessed the quantitative analysis of total viable bacteria, coliforms, Escherichia coli, and Staphylococcus aureus and qualitative analysis of 9 pathogenic bacteria [Salmonella spp., Vibrio parahaemolyticus, Vibrio vulnificus, Clostridium perfringens, Listeria monocytogenes, Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC), Yersinia enterocolitica, Bacillus cereus, Campylobacter jejuni/coli] in the frozen and raw sea squirt (Halocynthia roretzi). This microbial analysis was performed using the methods in Korean food code. The range of total viable bacteria was 2.50-4.55 (3.13±0.28) log CFU/g for frozen sea squirt and 2.60-4.80 (3.22±0.30) log CFU/g for raw sea squirt. Less than 1-2 log CFU/g of coliforms was detected in frozen and raw samples. E. coli was not detected in all samples (ND: 10 CFU/g). S. aureus was detected at 1.48-1.99 log CFU/g in most samples. All nine pathogenic bacteria were qualitatively detected as negative. The microbial contamination levels determined in the current study may be potentially used as the basic data to execute microbial risk assessments of sea squirt.