The global increase in chicken meat production and consumption has heightened concerns regarding the safety of chicken meat and its derived products. This study aimed to investigate the presence of Penicillium and Aspergillus mycotoxins in 50 samples of chicken breast muscle and liver collected from the Croatian market. Eight mycotoxins commonly produced by Aspergillus and Penicillium species were analyzed: aflatoxins B₁ (AFB₁), G₁ (AFG₁), B₂ (AFB₂), and G₂ (AFG₂); sterigmatocystin (STC); ochratoxin A (OTA); cyclopiazonic acid (CPA); and citrinin (CIT). Mycotoxin concentrations were determined using liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) following sample cleanup with immunoaffinity columns while a QuEChERS-based method was applied for CPA. Mycotoxin occurrence was higher in liver samples, indicating the liver as primary site of mycotoxin accumulation compared to muscle tissue, where only CPA was detected. CPA was present in 20% of all samples, with the highest concentration (6.50 µg/kg) found in breast muscle, detected for the first time in fresh meat. AFB₁ and OTA were each detected in 10% of samples, and CIT was found in 4%—all exclusively in liver tissue. Notably, 4 out of the 17 contaminated samples contained more than one mycotoxin. Although the detected concentrations can be considered too low to pose an immediate health risk, the contamination rate suggests further research into these mycotoxins in chicken and other poultry species is needed.

Rapid and accurate serotyping of Salmonella (S.) enterica subsp. enterica serovars is essential for effective public health surveillance, outbreak control, and food safety management. Traditional serotyping, although considered the gold standard, is time-consuming, technically demanding, and costly. This study aimed to evaluate the applicability of artificial intelligence (AI)-enhanced Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy using an IR Biotyper (Bruker Daltonics, Bremen, Germany) for the rapid and accurate serotyping of Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica isolates in Croatia. Materials and Methods: A total of 143 isolates representing different S. enterica serovars of human and food origin were analysed using the IR Biotyper. Each strain was tested in three biological and at least three technical replicates. The obtained results were compared with traditional serotyping according to the Kauffmann–White–Le Minor scheme. Isolate identification at the genus level was further confirmed by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. Results: The IR Biotyper demonstrated high reproducibility and complete concordance with standard serotyping methods, enabling accurate differentiation of the most prevalent S. enterica serovars in Croatia. Conclusions: Our findings demonstrate the applicability of FT-IR in routine laboratory work, with the potential to reduce typing time, reduce the number of strains, and lower overall costs required for epidemiological surveillance within the One Health approach.

Bacteria of the genera Salmonella and Campylobacter are the most common causative agents of foodborne bacterial infections, and poultry meat is recognised as the most common source of these infections in humans. Since chicken meat is one of the most commonly consumed meats in the daily diet, the aim of this study was to determine the occurrence of bacteria of the genus Salmonella in chicken meat in eastern Croatia in the period from 2017 to 2023. Sampling was conducted within the framework of an animal-origin food monitoring programme in butcher shops and slaughterhouses in four counties: Vukovar-Srijem, Osijek-Baranja, Brod-Posavina, and Požega-Slavonia. During this period, 1310 samples of fresh chicken meat were analysed in the Laboratory of Food and Feed Microbiology of the Veterinary Institute in Vinkovci. Bacteria of Salmonella spp. were confirmed in 130 (9.92%) samples of chicken meat: 101 samples of legs/ thighs (77.69%), 11 samples of wings (8.46%), and 18 samples of breast meat (13.85%). The highest number of Salmonella spp. isolates in relation to the total number of analysed chicken meat pieces tested was found in chicken legs/thighs (10.86%) and wings (10.00%), while the fewest isolates were obtained from breast meat samples (6.67%). Serological typing confirmed that all isolates belonged to the serovar Salmonella ser. Infantis.

Listeria monocytogenes is an important foodborne pathogen responsible for listeriosis, a severe human infection with high morbidity and mortality. Molecular serotyping is a universally accepted subtyping method for L. monocytogenes. Identification of strain serotype permits differentiation between significant foodborne strains (1/2a, 1/2b, and 4b) and allows a better understanding of their distribution and epidemiological significance. This study evaluated the implementation of real-time molecular serotyping of L. monocytogenes and compared its performance with conventional PCR methods. Eighty L. monocytogenes strains isolated from food and the food chain were analysed. Conventional multiplex PCR and qualitative real-time PCR (ReT-PCR) were used to identify molecular serogroups based on specific genetic markers to define the presence or absence of a particular serogroup of L. monocytogenes in strains. The results showed that ReT-PCR offers faster processing times than the conventional method. These strains belonged predominantly to serogroup IIa, followed by IIc, IIb, and IVb. ReT-PCR is becoming a standard tool for the detection and expression profiling of selected strains. This research highlights the importance of providing a rapid method for the qualitative detection of L. monocytogenes in food and integrating ReT-PCR into routine diagnostic applications.

Contamination of ready‐to‐eat (RTE) foods with Listeria monocytogenes represents a significant public health concern, particularly due to the limited data available on its prevalence in traditional Croatian RTE products. This study is aimed at determining the prevalence of L. monocytogenes in traditional dried RTE meat products sampled from local markets in Zagreb, characterizing the genomic features of the isolated strains, and assessing their potential public health implications. A total of 50 RTE meat products, including Slavonian sausage, dry meat products, and garlic sausage, were collected and analyzed using standard cultural methods, followed by biochemical confirmation and serogroup identification with multiplex PCR. Whole‐genome sequencing (WGS) was employed to determine clonal complexes (CCs), sequence types (STs), and the presence of virulence‐associated genes. L. monocytogenes was detected in 22% (11/50) of the analyzed samples, of which 63.63% (7/11) were isolated from Slavonian sausage. Among the confirmed isolates, Serogroup IIa was the most prevalent (54.54%). WGS analysis revealed the presence of seven distinct CCs, of which CC9 ( n = 3), CC37 ( n = 2) and CC121 ( n = 2) were the most common. One of the strains was identified as CC1, which is considered hypervirulent. Single‐nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) analysis demonstrated that two strains identified as CC121 and two strains identified as CC9 were highly related (seven SNP differences in each). Overall, these findings provide new insights into the presence of L. monocytogenes in traditional RTE meat products in Zagreb and highlight a potential health risk for consumers.