In this study, we evaluated the microbial contamination status of cold dishes consumed by residents of Jilin Province and investigated to determine the incidence of four pathogenic bacteria in cold dishes. A total of 300 samples of cold dishes including meat, vegetable and mixed products, were collected from three different purchasing places: supermarkets, farmers’ markets and mobile vendors. Live bacteria were isolated using conventional culture methods. After separation, a quick and easy polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to detect Listeria monocytogenes , Staphylococcus aureus , Enterotoxic Escherichia coli and Salmonella . The results showed that the total number of microbial colonies in the vegetable samples exceeded the standard rate of 8%, and the total number of microbial colonies in the meat and mixed samples did not exceed the standard. The total microbial colony count exceeded the standard in all three different procurement sites, with the highest exceedance of 7.4% in the mobile vendor sites. The detection rates of Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli , Staphylococcus aureus , L. monocytogenes and Salmonella among the four pathogenic bacteria detected in all samples were 4.3%, 3.3%; 3.0%; and 1.0%, respectively. This study can be used to qualitatively assess the microbiological quality associated with cold dishes. It provides data to support the detection of possible food safety problems.
