62 SEPTEMBER 2015 • WORLD AQUACULTURE • WWW.WAS.ORG represent only an initial attempt. A greater need lies in establishing risk thresholds for cultured macroalgae. The FDA has set the limit for L. monocytogenes in ready-to-eat foods of 0 colony-forming units (CFU) in 25 g (Compliance and Policy Guide 2015) and the International Commission for Microbiological Standards in Foods recommends a limit for V. parahaemolyticus in seafood of 100 CFU in 25 g (ICMSF 1986). Although neither bacterium was detected in seaweed, average consumption per meal might be greater than for other seafoods or food products. Furthermore, the feasibility of achieving consumption criteria with raw seawater and open-air culture conditions needs to be evaluated. Conducting risk assessment and establishing assay detection limits will require careful scientific studies and thoughtful policy development. Seaweed aquaculture holds great promise for production of a healthy and nutritious food. Development of food-safety technologies for macroalgae should occur concurrently with development of growth and harvest technologies to facilitate movement of this product into American seafood markets. Acknowledgments The NOAA Aquaculture Program and Northwest Fisheries Science Center supported this work. Clark University’s Mosakowski Institute for Public Enterprise and George Perkins Marsh Institute provided funding. Clark University and the 5-colleges program organized the opportunity. Notes Vanessa Carrasco, Clark University, scarrasco@clarku.edu John Colt, Northwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, john.colt@noaa.gov Linda Rhodes, Northwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Linda.Rhodes@noaa.gov telephone: 206-860-3279, fax: 206-860-3467 1 m-ColiBlue24®; Hach, Loveland CO, USA 2 Oxoid, Basingstoke, Hants, England References Compliance Policy Guide, Guidance for FDA Staff. 2015. Listeria monocytogenes Sec. 555.320. Available from: U.S. Food and Drug Administration Inspections, Compliance, Enforcement, and Criminal Investigations. U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Rockville, MD USA Feng, P., S.D. Weagant, M.A. Grant and W. Burkhardt. 2002. Bacteriological Analytical Manual: Enumeration of Escherichia coli and the Coliform Bacteria. U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Rockville, MD. USA www.fda.gov/Food/ FoodScienceResearch/LaboratoryMethods/ucm064948.htm. [18 June 2014]. Hitchins, A.D. and K. Jinneman. 2011. Bacteriological Analytical Manual: Detection and Enumeration of Listeria monocytogenes. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Rockville, MD. USA www.fda.gov/Food/FoodScienceResearch/LaboratoryMethods/ ucm071400.htm. [18 June 2014]. ICMSF (International Commission on Microbiological Specifications for Foods). 1986. Microorganisms in Foods 2. Sampling for microbiological analysis: Principles and specific applications. 2nd ed. International Commission on Microbiological Specifications for Foods, www.icmsf.org/index.html [May 2015] Kaysner, C.A. and A. DePaola, Jr. 2004. Bacteriological Analytical Manual: Vibrio. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Rockville, MD. USA www.fda.gov/Food/FoodScienceResearch/ LaboratoryMethods/ucm070830.htm. [18 June 2014]. USEPA (United States Environmental Protection Agency). 2009. Drinking Water Contaminants. National Primary Drinking Water Regulations. EPA 816-F-09-0004. Available from: United States Environmental Protection Agency, Washington DC USA. FIGURE 3. Steps in bacteriological analysis of seaweed. Left, Pacific dulse ready to be blended; center, plating homogenates onto selective microbiological media; right, selective media for Vibrio species, displaying chromogenic shift from blue-green to yellow. Photos: Vanessa Carrasco and Lisa Armbruster. Adaptation of shellfish seafood safety protocols from the Bacteriological Analytical Manual is a good starting point for developing methods to screen cultured macroalgae for bacterial pathogens.
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