Examining the Presence of Cronobacter spp. in Ready-to-eat Edible Insects

摘要

Edible insects present a potential solution to increasing global food insecurity.However, there is limited research on the microbial hazards they may pose. These includeopportunistic pathogens like Cronobacter spp. (formerlyEnterobacter sakazakii ). In this study, nine types of ready-to-eatedible insect products purchased in the UK were examined for their microbial load (totalaerobic count, total Enterobacteriaceae count), and screened for thepresence of Cronobacter sakazakii (C. sakazakii) byselective enrichment and plating on chromogenic agar. While microbial load was generallylow, presumptive Cronobacter spp. were detected in five of the edibleinsect products. Four of the isolates were identified as C. sakazakii ,using the Remel RapID ONE biochemical test kit. Genotypic characterisation of the isolatesby ITS-PCR, however, demonstrated that the isolates may be other species ofCronobacter instead. Further studies into understanding microbialhazards linked to edible insects for human consumption are required.