Transfer of Pathogens from Cantaloupe Rind to Preparation Surfaces and Edible Tissue as a Function of Cutting Method

Abstract

Whole and cut cantaloupes have been implicated as vehicles in foodborne illness outbreaks of norovirus, salmonellosis, and listeriosis. Preparation methods that minimize pathogen transfer from external surfaces to the edible tissue are needed. Two preparation methods were compared for the transfer of Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium LT2, murine norovirus, and Tulane virus from inoculated cantaloupe rinds to edible tissue and preparation surfaces. For the first method, cantaloupes were cut into eighths, and edible tissue was separated from the rind and cubed with the same knife used to open the cantaloupes. For the second method, cantaloupes were scored with a knife around the circumference sufficient to allow manual separation of the cantaloupes into halves. Edible tissue was scooped with a spoon and did not contact the preparation surface touched by the rind. Bacteria and virus were recovered from the rinds, preparation surfaces, and edible tissue and enumerated by culture methods and reverse transcription, quantitative PCR, respectively. Standard plate counts were determined throughout refrigerated storage of cantaloupe tissue. Cut method 2 yielded approximately 1 log lower recovery of L. monocytogenes and Salmonella Typhimurium from edible tissue, depending on the medium in which the bacteria were inoculated. A slight reduction was observed in murine norovirus recovered from edible tissue by cut method 2. The Tulane virus was detected in approximately half of the sampled cantaloupe tissue and only at very low levels. Aerobic mesophilic colony counts were lower through day 6 of storage for buffered peptone water-inoculated cantaloupes prepared by cut method 2. No differences were observed in environmental contamination as a function of cutting method. Although small reductions in contamination of edible tissue were observed for cut method 2, the extent of microbial transfer underscores the importance of preventing contamination of whole cantaloupes.

Listeria monocytogenes in Irrigation Water: An Assessment of Outbreaks, Sources, Prevalence, and Persistence

“…These different outcomes may be due, in part, to the type of treatment that the wastewater had undergone, the crop varieties that were used in the study, such as tomatoes and broccoli, which are normally transplanted to soils, while lettuce is normally started from seed, likely increasing contact with the soil. Once these crops are contaminated, trying to remove or inactivate the total pathogen load by washing can be difficult [ 86 ]. Cut Romaine lettuce and whole cantaloupe rinds that were inoculated with L. innocua at various levels have shown to have a maximum of 1 log and 0.5 log reduction when washed with chlorinated water and tap water only, respectively.…”

Avaliação Da Qualidade Microbiológica De Polpas De Frutas Artesanais Produzidas E Comercializadas Nos Mercados Públicos Do Município De João Pessoa / Evaluation of the Microbiological Quality of Handmade Fruit Pulp Produced and Commercialized in the Public Markets of João Pessoa Municipality

“…Frutas contaminadas e lavagem inadequada antes do processamento é uma realidade e contribui para a contaminação de polpas de frutas por patógenos (HUANGA et al, 2019) Contaminantes microbianos também podem ser provinientes de múltiplas fontes, como água, ar, instalações e embalagem. Por tanto, as polpas das futas podem ser contaminadas por patógenos em vários pontos de sua cadeia produtiva desde a coleta do fruto passando pelo processamento e armazenamento (SHEARER et al, 2016).…”