A field study of the microbiological quality of fresh produce of domestic and Mexican origin

Johnston, Lynette M.; Jaykus, Lee‐Ann; Moll, Deborah M.; Anciso, Juan; Mora, Brenda; Moe, Christine L.

doi:10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2006.05.002

Cited by 151 publications

(97 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…Significant differences were noted between the numbers of total aerobic bacteria of chicory and mustard leaves (P < 0.01). Compared with previous reports, these data suggest similar levels of total aerobic bacteria on leafy green vegetables collected from both farms and retail stores [3][4][5]13) . It was reported that total aerobic bacteria levels ranged from 5.2-6.9 log CFU/g in several types of leafy greens and herbs, including green Swiss chard, turnip greens, collards, cabbage, kale, cilantro, and parsley at packing sheds 13) .…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 61%

Assessment of the Microbiological Quality of Vegetable from Urban Community Gardens in Korea

Kim¹,

Choi²,

Na³

et al. 2014

Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety

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-Many community gardens in large cities worldwide grow vegetables; however, no information regarding the levels of sanitary indicator bacteria and prevalence of foodborne pathogens in vegetables grown in urban community gardens is available. To evaluate the microbiological quality of vegetables from urban community gardens in Korea, 530 samples (nine types of vegetable, including Chinese cabbage, lettuce, radish leaves, spinach, mustard leaves, crown daisy, leek, Korean cabbage, and chicory) were collected at 11 urban community gardens in Seoul, Korea from September through October 2012. The levels of total aerobic bacteria, Escherichia coli, total coliforms, Salmonella spp. Listeria monocytogenes, and E. coli O157:H7 were evaluated quantitatively and/or qualitatively. The mean numbers of total aerobic bacteria and coliforms were 6.3 log CFU/g (range 3.8-8.1 log CFU/g) and 4.3 log CFU/g (range 2.1-6.4 log CFU/g), respectively. Total coliforms were detected on 67% of whole vegetables. Chicory showed the highest number of total aerobic bacteria and coliforms, whereas the lowest number of coliforms was detected on leeks. E. coli was detected on 2.3% of whole vegetables, including lettuce, radish leaves, mustard leaves, and chicory; however, foodborne pathogenic bacteria were not detected on any of the vegetable samples using this highly sensitive and validated procedure. Based on these findings, the presence of coliforms and E. coli demonstrates that opportunity for improvement of microbiological safety exists throughout the produce production chain, although no major foodborne pathogens were present in vegetables grown in urban community gardens.

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Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 61%

Assessment of the Microbiological Quality of Vegetable from Urban Community Gardens in Korea

Kim¹,

Choi²,

Na³

et al. 2014

Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety

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“…Reports on the lack of contamination by L. monocytogenes, S. aureus, and Salmonella spp. supported our results (13,19,(21)(22)(23).…”

Section: Microbiological Contamination In Fresh-red Peppersupporting

confidence: 91%

Microbiological Contamination of Fresh-Red Pepper and Packaged-Red Pepper Powder in South Korea

Jeong¹,

Jo²,

Koo³

et al. 2010

JFN

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The aim of this study was to determine microbiological contamination of fresh-red pepper and packaged-red pepper powder commercially available in South Korea. Thirty-seven fresh-red peppers were collected from 5 farms and 31 packaged-red pepper powders were purchased from retail markets in South Korea. Foodborne pathogens (Escherichia coli, Salmonella spp., Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus cereus), total viable counts, Enterobacteriaceae, coliforms, yeast and mold, and Aspergillus flavus were determined. Detection percentage of contamination of Bacillus cereus in fresh-red pepper was 8.1%, which was lower than the 39% of detection rate in packaged-red pepper powder. The contamination level of Bacillus cereus was 1～3 log CFU/g in packaged-red pepper powder. Escherichia coli was detected in 5.4% of fresh-red pepper samples and was not detected in packaged-red pepper powder. Enterobacteriaceae and coliforms were detected in both of fresh-red pepper and packaged-red pepper powders. Foodborne pathogens, except Bacillus cereus and Escherichia coli, were not detected.

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“…Surveys on the type and concentrations of pathogens on vegetables and their survival under natural field conditions are still scarce, although increasing (38). The reported level of human pathogens in produce seems to vary considerably, e.g., between regions (3,32,41,50). It is uncertain as to what extent pathogens present in the soil can become internalized into the plant through the root system or be transferred to leaf surfaces through rain splash, with possible internalization via leaf orifices, but both transmission routes constitute potential food safety risks for consumers (6,16,37,46).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Escherichia coli Contamination of Lettuce Grown in Soils Amended with Animal Slurry

Jensen¹,

Storm²,

Forslund³

et al. 2013

Journal of Food Protection

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A pilot study was conducted to assess the transfer of Escherichia coli from animal slurry fertilizer to lettuce, with E. coli serving as an indicator of fecal contamination and as an indicator for potential bacterial enteric pathogens. Animal slurry was applied as fertilizer to three Danish agricultural fields prior to the planting of lettuce seedlings. At harvest, leaves (25 g) of 10 lettuce heads were pooled into one sample unit (n = 147). Soil samples (100 g) were collected from one field before slurry application and four times during the growth period (n = 75). E. coli was enumerated in slurry, soil, and lettuce on 3M Petrifilm Select E. coli Count Plates containing 16 mg/liter streptomycin, 16 mg/liter ampicillin, or no antimicrobial agent. Selected E. coli isolates (n = 83) originating from the slurry, soil, and lettuce were genotyped by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) to determine the similarity of isolates. The slurry applied to the fields contained 3.0 to 4.5 log CFU/g E. coli. E. coli was found in 36 to 54% of the lettuce samples, streptomycin-resistant E. coli was found in 10.0 to 18.0% of the lettuce samples, and ampicillin-resistant E. coli in 0 to 2.0% of the lettuce samples (the detection limit was 1 log CFU/g). The concentration of E. coli exceeded 2 log CFU/g in 19.0% of the lettuce samples. No E. coli was detected in the soil before the slurry was applied, but after, E. coli was present until the last sampling day (harvest), when 10 of 15 soil samples contained E. coli. A relatively higher frequency of E. coli in lettuce compared with the soil samples at harvest suggests environmental sources of fecal contamination, e.g., wildlife. The higher frequency was supported by the finding of 21 different PFGE types among the E. coli isolates, with only a few common PFGE types between slurry, soil, and lettuce. The frequent finding of fecal-contaminated lettuce indicates that human pathogens such as Salmonella and Campylobacter can be present and represent food safety hazards.

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A field study of the microbiological quality of fresh produce of domestic and Mexican origin

Cited by 151 publications

References 19 publications

Assessment of the Microbiological Quality of Vegetable from Urban Community Gardens in Korea

Assessment of the Microbiological Quality of Vegetable from Urban Community Gardens in Korea

Microbiological Contamination of Fresh-Red Pepper and Packaged-Red Pepper Powder in South Korea

Escherichia coli Contamination of Lettuce Grown in Soils Amended with Animal Slurry

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