Identifier

etd-11182010-130411

Degree

Master of Science (MS)

Department

School of Nutrition and Food Sciences

Document Type

Thesis

Abstract

While all seafood has the potential of being associated with foodborne illness, Louisiana blue crabs (Callinectes sapidus) are exposed to Vibrio cholerae, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, Vibrio vulnificus, Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella species in the estuarine habitat. This study was designed to determine the least amount of time and temperature needed to reduce or eliminate each of the aforementioned bacteria from a single Louisiana blue crab with either boiling or steaming heat treatments. Once the single crab heat treatment studies were completed, the bacteria that showed the greatest thermal resistance, Listeria monocytogenes, and the bacteria most associated with foodborne illness in Louisiana blue crabs, Vibrio parahaemolyticus were inoculated into a serving size of crabs and subjected to heat treatments. The results were based on the amount of bacterial log reduction of each heat treatment time point. Results of the heat treatment experiments were: boil one crab four minutes and cool one additional minute for an internal temperature of at least 79.5° C and a total cooking time of five minutes; steam one crab for five minutes cool two additional minutes for an internal temperature of at least 57° C and a total cooking time of seven minutes; boil four crabs for 10 minutes and cool five additional minutes for an internal temperature of at least 85° C and a total cooking time of 15 minutes; steam four crabs for 15 minutes and cool five additional minutes to reach an internal temperature of at least 85° C with a total cooking time of 20 minutes.

Date

2010

Document Availability at the Time of Submission

Release the entire work immediately for access worldwide.

Committee Chair

Janes, Marlene E.

DOI

10.31390/gradschool_theses.522

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