Microbiological Contamination of Shellfish Jeotgal Sold in Traditional Markets in the Southeastern Region During Winter

This study evaluated the microbial contamination levels of five types of shellfish jeotgal sold in traditional markets in the southeastern region of Korea during winter. The experiment analyzed the contamination levels of hygiene indicator bacteria (total viable bacteria, coliforms, and Escherichia coli), fungi, and food-borne pathogenic bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus, Clostridium perfringens, Bacillus cereus, Salmonella spp., Listeria monocytogenes, Campylobacter jejuni/coli, Yersinia enterocolitica, Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC), Vibrio parahaemolyticus). The results showed that the aerobic plate count and fungal counts were 2.95 (2.47–3.18) and 0.82 (ND–1.65) log CFU/g, respectively. Coliforms, E. coli, and all tested foodborne pathogens were not detected. The microbial contamination levels identified in this study provide fundamental data for the microbiological risk assessment of salted shellfish.