No abstract

This study was undertaken to assess the microbiological quality and prevalence of pathogens in organic vegetables produced in Korea. A total of 189 organically grown vegetable samples (perilla leaf 50, lettuce 50, tomato 39, cucumber 50) were analyzed for the presence of aerobic plate count, Escherichia coli O157:H7, Salmonella spp., Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria monocytogenes, and Yersinia enterocolitica. The total aerobic plate counts were in the range of 4.2 to 7.7 log CFU g -1 for perilla leaf, 5.0 to 8.0 log CFU g -1 for lettuce, 4.0 to 7.5 log CFU g -1 for tomato, and 6.6 to 8.6 log CFU g -1 for cucumber. The highest counts were found in cucumber. E. coli O157:H7, Salmonella spp., S. aureus, L. monocytogenes, and Y. enterocolitica were not detected from any organically grown vegetable samples. This research suggests that continuous monitoring in organic vegetables is required to improve fresh produce safety.