Insights into the microbiological safety of wooden cutting boards used for meat processing in Hong Kong’s wet markets: A focus on food-contact surfaces, cross-contamination and the efficacy of traditional hygiene practices

Patrick T. Sekoai; Shiqi Feng; Wenwen Zhou; Wing Y. Ngan; Yang Pu; Yuan Yao; Jie Pan; Olivier Habimana

doi:10.3390/microorganisms8040579

Insights into the microbiological safety of wooden cutting boards used for meat processing in Hong Kong’s wet markets: A focus on food-contact surfaces, cross-contamination and the efficacy of traditional hygiene practices

Patrick T. Sekoai, Shiqi Feng, Wenwen Zhou, Wing Y. Ngan, Yang Pu, Yuan Yao, Jie Pan, Olivier Habimana^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

16 Scopus citations

Abstract

Hong Kong’s wet markets play a crucial role in the country’s supply of safe, fresh meat to satisfy the dietary needs of its population. Whilst food safety regulations have been introduced over the past few years to maintain the microbial safety of foods sold from these wet markets, it remains unclear whether the hygiene maintenance that is performed on the wooden cutting boards used for meat-processing is effective. In fact, hygiene maintenance may often be overlooked, and hygiene standards may be insufficient. If so, this may lead to the spread of harmful pathogens through cross-contamination, thereby causing severe risks to public health. The aim of this study was to determine the level of microbial transfer between wooden cutting boards and swine meat of various qualities, using 16S metagenomic sequencing, strain identification and biofilm screening of isolated strains. The results established that: (a) the traditional hygiene practices used for cleaning wooden cutting boards in Hong Kong’s wet markets expose the surfaces to potentially harmful microorganisms; (b) the processing of microbially contaminated meat on cutting boards cleaned using traditional practices leads to cross-contamination; and (c) several potentially pathogenic microorganisms found on the cutting boards have good biofilm-forming abilities. These results reinforce the need to review the traditional methods used to clean wooden cutting boards after the processing of raw meat in Hong Kong’ wet markets so as to prevent cross-contamination events. The establishment of proper hygiene protocols may reduce the spread of disease-causing microorganisms (including antibiotic-resistant microorganisms) in food-processing environments.

Original language	English
Article number	579
Journal	Microorganisms
Volume	8
Issue number	4
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms8040579
State	Published - Apr 2020
Externally published	Yes

Keywords

Biofilms
Foodborne pathogens
Hong Kong’s wet markets
Traditional hygiene practices
Wooden cutting board

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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10.3390/microorganisms8040579

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Sekoai, P. T., Feng, S., Zhou, W., Ngan, W. Y., Pu, Y., Yao, Y., Pan, J., & Habimana, O. (2020). Insights into the microbiological safety of wooden cutting boards used for meat processing in Hong Kong’s wet markets: A focus on food-contact surfaces, cross-contamination and the efficacy of traditional hygiene practices. Microorganisms, 8(4), Article 579. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms8040579

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title = "Insights into the microbiological safety of wooden cutting boards used for meat processing in Hong Kong{\textquoteright}s wet markets: A focus on food-contact surfaces, cross-contamination and the efficacy of traditional hygiene practices",

abstract = "Hong Kong{\textquoteright}s wet markets play a crucial role in the country{\textquoteright}s supply of safe, fresh meat to satisfy the dietary needs of its population. Whilst food safety regulations have been introduced over the past few years to maintain the microbial safety of foods sold from these wet markets, it remains unclear whether the hygiene maintenance that is performed on the wooden cutting boards used for meat-processing is effective. In fact, hygiene maintenance may often be overlooked, and hygiene standards may be insufficient. If so, this may lead to the spread of harmful pathogens through cross-contamination, thereby causing severe risks to public health. The aim of this study was to determine the level of microbial transfer between wooden cutting boards and swine meat of various qualities, using 16S metagenomic sequencing, strain identification and biofilm screening of isolated strains. The results established that: (a) the traditional hygiene practices used for cleaning wooden cutting boards in Hong Kong{\textquoteright}s wet markets expose the surfaces to potentially harmful microorganisms; (b) the processing of microbially contaminated meat on cutting boards cleaned using traditional practices leads to cross-contamination; and (c) several potentially pathogenic microorganisms found on the cutting boards have good biofilm-forming abilities. These results reinforce the need to review the traditional methods used to clean wooden cutting boards after the processing of raw meat in Hong Kong{\textquoteright} wet markets so as to prevent cross-contamination events. The establishment of proper hygiene protocols may reduce the spread of disease-causing microorganisms (including antibiotic-resistant microorganisms) in food-processing environments.",

keywords = "Biofilms, Foodborne pathogens, Hong Kong{\textquoteright}s wet markets, Traditional hygiene practices, Wooden cutting board",

author = "Sekoai, {Patrick T.} and Shiqi Feng and Wenwen Zhou and Ngan, {Wing Y.} and Yang Pu and Yuan Yao and Jie Pan and Olivier Habimana",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.",

year = "2020",

month = apr,

doi = "10.3390/microorganisms8040579",

language = "英语",

volume = "8",

journal = "Microorganisms",

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Sekoai, PT, Feng, S, Zhou, W, Ngan, WY, Pu, Y, Yao, Y, Pan, J & Habimana, O 2020, 'Insights into the microbiological safety of wooden cutting boards used for meat processing in Hong Kong’s wet markets: A focus on food-contact surfaces, cross-contamination and the efficacy of traditional hygiene practices', Microorganisms, vol. 8, no. 4, 579. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms8040579

Insights into the microbiological safety of wooden cutting boards used for meat processing in Hong Kong’s wet markets: A focus on food-contact surfaces, cross-contamination and the efficacy of traditional hygiene practices. / Sekoai, Patrick T.; Feng, Shiqi; Zhou, Wenwen et al.
In: Microorganisms, Vol. 8, No. 4, 579, 04.2020.

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

TY - JOUR

T1 - Insights into the microbiological safety of wooden cutting boards used for meat processing in Hong Kong’s wet markets

T2 - A focus on food-contact surfaces, cross-contamination and the efficacy of traditional hygiene practices

AU - Sekoai, Patrick T.

AU - Feng, Shiqi

AU - Zhou, Wenwen

AU - Ngan, Wing Y.

AU - Pu, Yang

AU - Yao, Yuan

AU - Pan, Jie

AU - Habimana, Olivier

PY - 2020/4

Y1 - 2020/4

N2 - Hong Kong’s wet markets play a crucial role in the country’s supply of safe, fresh meat to satisfy the dietary needs of its population. Whilst food safety regulations have been introduced over the past few years to maintain the microbial safety of foods sold from these wet markets, it remains unclear whether the hygiene maintenance that is performed on the wooden cutting boards used for meat-processing is effective. In fact, hygiene maintenance may often be overlooked, and hygiene standards may be insufficient. If so, this may lead to the spread of harmful pathogens through cross-contamination, thereby causing severe risks to public health. The aim of this study was to determine the level of microbial transfer between wooden cutting boards and swine meat of various qualities, using 16S metagenomic sequencing, strain identification and biofilm screening of isolated strains. The results established that: (a) the traditional hygiene practices used for cleaning wooden cutting boards in Hong Kong’s wet markets expose the surfaces to potentially harmful microorganisms; (b) the processing of microbially contaminated meat on cutting boards cleaned using traditional practices leads to cross-contamination; and (c) several potentially pathogenic microorganisms found on the cutting boards have good biofilm-forming abilities. These results reinforce the need to review the traditional methods used to clean wooden cutting boards after the processing of raw meat in Hong Kong’ wet markets so as to prevent cross-contamination events. The establishment of proper hygiene protocols may reduce the spread of disease-causing microorganisms (including antibiotic-resistant microorganisms) in food-processing environments.

AB - Hong Kong’s wet markets play a crucial role in the country’s supply of safe, fresh meat to satisfy the dietary needs of its population. Whilst food safety regulations have been introduced over the past few years to maintain the microbial safety of foods sold from these wet markets, it remains unclear whether the hygiene maintenance that is performed on the wooden cutting boards used for meat-processing is effective. In fact, hygiene maintenance may often be overlooked, and hygiene standards may be insufficient. If so, this may lead to the spread of harmful pathogens through cross-contamination, thereby causing severe risks to public health. The aim of this study was to determine the level of microbial transfer between wooden cutting boards and swine meat of various qualities, using 16S metagenomic sequencing, strain identification and biofilm screening of isolated strains. The results established that: (a) the traditional hygiene practices used for cleaning wooden cutting boards in Hong Kong’s wet markets expose the surfaces to potentially harmful microorganisms; (b) the processing of microbially contaminated meat on cutting boards cleaned using traditional practices leads to cross-contamination; and (c) several potentially pathogenic microorganisms found on the cutting boards have good biofilm-forming abilities. These results reinforce the need to review the traditional methods used to clean wooden cutting boards after the processing of raw meat in Hong Kong’ wet markets so as to prevent cross-contamination events. The establishment of proper hygiene protocols may reduce the spread of disease-causing microorganisms (including antibiotic-resistant microorganisms) in food-processing environments.

KW - Biofilms

KW - Foodborne pathogens

KW - Hong Kong’s wet markets

KW - Traditional hygiene practices

KW - Wooden cutting board

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85083745213&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.3390/microorganisms8040579

DO - 10.3390/microorganisms8040579

M3 - 文章

AN - SCOPUS:85083745213

SN - 2076-2607

VL - 8

JO - Microorganisms

JF - Microorganisms

IS - 4

M1 - 579

ER -

Insights into the microbiological safety of wooden cutting boards used for meat processing in Hong Kong’s wet markets: A focus on food-contact surfaces, cross-contamination and the efficacy of traditional hygiene practices

Abstract

Keywords

UN SDGs

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