Listeria monocytogenes in Ready to Eat (RTE) delicatessen foods: prevalence, genetic characterization of isolates, growth potential and efficacy of possible bioprotective interventions

In the present study, the prevalence of L. monocytogenes in different Italian RTE delicatessen products and the genomic characterization of the isolates were evaluated. Moreover, growth potential of L. monocytogenes was investigated in a selected product. Finally, an intervention applied with the aim to reduce the risk correlated with the presence of the pathogen was investigated.