ENTEROBACTERIACEAE IN ICE-CREAM SOLD AT RETAIL IN TENERIFE, SPAIN

Ice cream is a dairy product which favors the growth of microorganisms and can be exposed to contamination during handling while being sold at the retail market. The presence of microorganisms belonging to the Enterobacteriaceae family was studied in 67 ice cream samples in the p rovince of Santa Cruz de Tenerife. All the samples showed positive cou nts, of which 82.1% revealed microbiol counts of > log 3 - < log 5 CFU /g. The isolated species identified (as percent of total) were: Klebsi ella pneumoniae, 34.8; Enterobacter aerogenes, 19.3; Enterobacter cloa cae, 11.1; Enterobacter aglomerans, 11.6; Escherichia coli and Salmone lla arizonae, 2.6; Citrobacter freundii, 1.3; and Serratia marcenscens , 0.7.