Cross-contamination in the kitchen: estimation of transfer rates for cutting boards, hands and knives.

Transfer rates were estimated for Campylobacter jejuni and Lactobacillus casei as a tracer organism. This study showed that transfer characteristics for both micro-organisms were comparable when washing regimes and transfer via items (cutting board, hands and knives) were compared. Furthermore, the study showed that the use of separate transfer rates for transfer from chicken to items and from items to salad will lead to an overestimation of campylobacteriosis risk. Applying good hygiene practices resulted in final levels of bacteria in the salad below the detection limit. The study showed that it is important to include these data points in model fitting. The study quantifies transfer of Camp. jejuni and Lact. casei from raw chicken via various contact surfaces into the ready-to-eat product. J Appl Microbiol. 2008;105(5):1392-401.