Cooked Seafood Testing for hotels and restaurants
The table below is intended to describe a microbiological testing panel for cooked seafood served by hotels, restaurants, catering companies, and other food-service establishments.
It could cover cooked fish, prawns/shrimp, crab, lobster, mussels, oysters, squid, octopus, and mixed seafood dishes.
The purpose is to evaluate overall microbial quality, hygiene, cooking effectiveness, post-cooking contamination, and important foodborne pathogens.
It has to be noted that the limits mentioned may have variations case to case.
| Food/Test Category | Microbial Parameters | Analysis Method | Limits |
| Cooked Seafood Testing | Standard Plate Count | ISO 4833-1:2013 / AOAC 990.12 | ≤10⁴–10⁵ CFU/g |
| Coagulative Staphylococcus | ISO 6579-1:2017 / AOAC 2003.09 | Absent in 25 g | |
| Clostridium perfringens | ISO 11290-1:2017 / AOAC 2004.06 | Absent in 25 g | |
| Bacillus cereus | ISO 16649-2:2001 / AOAC 991.14 | <10² CFU/g | |
| Campylobacter | ISO 16654:2001 / AOAC 996.09 | Absent in 25 g | |
| Yeast/mould | ISO 4832:2006 / AOAC 991.14 | <10² CFU/g | |
| Salmonella | ISO 7251:2005 | <10² CFU/g | |
| Coliform | ISO 6888-1:2021 / AOAC 975.55 | <10² CFU/g | |
| fecal coliform | ISO 6888-1:2021 / AOAC 975.55 | <10² CFU/g | |
| E. coli O157 | ISO 7937:2004 / AOAC 976.30 | <10² CFU/g | |
| E. coli | ISO 7932:2004 / AOAC 980.31 | <10³ CFU/g | |
| Staph. aureus | ISO 10272-1:2017 | Absent in 25 g (RTE foods) | |
| Coagulative Staphylococcus | ISO 21527-2:2008 / AOAC 997.02 | ≤10³ CFU/g | |
| Salmonella | ISO 6579-1:2017 / AOAC 2003.09 | Absent in 25 g | |
| Listeria | ISO 11290-1:2017 | <10² CFU/g |
Explanation of the main tests
| Microbial Parameter | Purpose | Appropriate Method / Method Family | Suggested Presentation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Aerobic Microbial Count | General microbial quality | ISO 4833-1:2013 | Product-specific |
| Salmonella spp. | Foodborne pathogen | ISO 6579-1:2017 | Not detected in specified test portion, where applicable |
| Listeria monocytogenes | Foodborne pathogen, especially important for RTE seafood | ISO 11290-1:2017 | Not detected in specified test portion, where applicable |
| Coagulase-positive Staphylococci | Hygiene/handling indicator | ISO 6888-1:2021 | Product-specific |
| Clostridium perfringens | Spore-forming organism associated with temperature abuse | ISO 15213-2:2023 | Product-specific |
| Bacillus cereus | Spore-forming organism | ISO 7932:2004, where applicable | Product-specific |
| Campylobacter spp. | Foodborne pathogen | ISO 10272 series | Product-specific |
| Coliforms | Hygiene indicator | ISO 4832:2006 | Product-specific |
| E. coli | Hygiene/fecal contamination indicator | ISO 16649-2:2001 | Product-specific |
| Yeasts & Molds | Spoilage/quality indicator | Appropriate validated method | Product-specific |