Microbial quality of frozen Nile crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus) meat samples from three selected farms in Zimbabwe

• Microbial quality of frozen Nile crocodile meat from three farms was assessed.
• Low counts for aerobic bacteria, coliforms and E. coli which varied by season were noted.
• Listeria monocytogenes was not detected, while Salmonella prevalence was < 1%.
• Continued improvement of slaughter hygiene will minimize their public health risk.

Microbial quality of frozen Nile crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus) meat from three farms in Zimbabwe was assessed based on 2051 samples collected for pre-export testing during 2006 to 2011. Data were perused by season and year in terms of aerobic plate (APC), coliform (CC), Escherichia coli (ECC) and Listeria monocytogenes (LMC) counts and the presence of Salmonella spp. The log10-transformed data were compared among the farms and seasons using the Kruskal–Wallis test. Microbial quality of the samples was graded based on the EC No. 2073.2005 criteria for beef. The mean APC and CC for the crocodile meat differed significantly (P = 0.000) among the farms with the highest APC (3.2 ± 0.05 log10 cfu/g) and the lowest (2.7 ± 0.05 log10 cfu/g) recorded from farms A and C, respectively. There were no significant differences (P > 0.05) in ECC and LMC among the farms, while Salmonella spp. were only isolated from one farm. Although the microbial quality of frozen crocodile meat from these farms was generally within acceptable limits, the isolation of E. coli and Salmonella spp. is of public health concern. Thus, implementing of measures to control the pasteurizing process and to minimize bacterial contamination of crocodile meat after pasteurization need to be carefully considered.