ABSTRACT

Deli Salads ............................................................................................... 63 2.2.1 Escherichia coli O157:H7 ............................................................... 63 2.2.2 Listeria monocytogenes .................................................................. 64 2.2.3 Salmonella spp. ............................................................................. 64 2.2.4 Staphylococcus aureus ................................................................... 65 2.2.5 Campylobacter jejuni ..................................................................... 65 2.2.6 Aeromonas spp. ............................................................................. 66

2.3 Microbiological Quality of Deli Salads ................................................ 66 2.3.1 Mayonnaise and Salad Dressings ............................................ 67 2.3.2 Meat, Poultry, and Seafood ........................................................ 69 2.3.3 Non-Meat Ingredients ................................................................ 70

2.4 Deli Salads ............................................................................................... 72 2.5 Survival of Foodborne Pathogens in Salads ....................................... 73 2.6 Controls .................................................................................................... 74 References .......................................................................................................... 74

component and mayonnaise or salad dressings. The variety of deli salads are as many as the food ingredients that can be used in salads, which includes almost anything that is edible. There are the well-known and popular salads such as potato salad, macaroni salad, ham salad, seafood salad, and coleslaw, and there are regional, ethnic, or newly created salads such as Cajun-style seafood salad, deviled egg salad, Mediterranean seafood, spicy Mexican bean, Japanese rice wine vinaigrette, and Greek pasta salad (Decker, 2001). In addition to the variety of differences in terms of the main food components, deli salads in a variety of low-fat, low-salt, and low-calorie choices for health-conscious consumers are also increasingly available in the marketplaces. Deli salads provide some of the greatest variety and avor of any food category. Deli salads in marketplaces come from off-site locations or are prepared on-site. The salads may come from a manufacturer, which prepares, packs, and ships the products to the marketplaces. The marketplace may produce salads on-site from individual or pre-packed ingredients. Salads prepared off-site are generally produced in larger quantity, cost less, and have longer shelf lives than those prepared on-site. In general, deli salads have a relatively shorter shelf life than other types of ready-to-eat food products. Although deli salads may be formulated with preservatives to have longer shelf lives, it is generally recommended that deli salads like potato salad, macaroni salad, and coleslaw be consumed within 3 to 5 days after preparation. Deli salads should be kept at refrigerated temperature, and they should be consumed within 2 hours of removal from refrigeration temperature. The consumption of deli salads has increased markedly in recent years. These products are potential sources of pathogenic microorganisms, and their microbial safety is a health concern.