Factors influencing the microbial safety of fresh produce: a review
- PMID: 22850369
- DOI: 10.1016/j.fm.2012.04.016
Factors influencing the microbial safety of fresh produce: a review
Abstract
Increased consumption, larger scale production and more efficient distribution of fresh produce over the past two decades have contributed to an increase in the number of illness outbreaks caused by this commodity. Pathogen contamination of fresh produce may originate before or after harvest, but once contaminated produce is difficult to sanitize. The prospect that some pathogens invade the vascular system of plants and establish "sub-clinical" infection needs to be better understood to enable estimation of its influence upon risk of human illness. Conventional surface sanitation methods can reduce the microbial load, but cannot eliminate pathogens if present. Chlorine dioxide, electrolyzed water, UV light, cold atmospheric plasma, hydrogen peroxide, organic acids and acidified sodium chlorite show promise, but irradiation at 1 kGy in high oxygen atmospheres may prove to be the most effective means to assure elimination of both surface and internal contamination of produce by pathogens. Pathogens of greatest current concern are Salmonella (tomatoes, seed sprouts and spices) and Escherichia coli O157:H7 on leafy greens (spinach and lettuce). This review considers new information on illness outbreaks caused by produce, identifies factors which influence their frequency and size and examines intervention effectiveness. Research needed to increase our understanding of the factors influencing microbial safety of fresh produce is addressed.
Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Similar articles
-
Recent advances in the microbial safety of fresh fruits and vegetables.Adv Food Nutr Res. 2009;57:155-208. doi: 10.1016/S1043-4526(09)57004-0. Adv Food Nutr Res. 2009. PMID: 19595387 Review.
-
Produce handling and processing practices.Emerg Infect Dis. 1997 Oct-Dec;3(4):459-65. doi: 10.3201/eid0304.970407. Emerg Infect Dis. 1997. PMID: 9366597 Free PMC article. Review.
-
Salmonella and produce: survival in the plant environment and implications in food safety.Virulence. 2011 Nov-Dec;2(6):573-9. doi: 10.4161/viru.2.6.17880. Epub 2011 Nov 1. Virulence. 2011. PMID: 21971184 Review.
-
The growing burden of foodborne outbreaks due to contaminated fresh produce: risks and opportunities.Epidemiol Infect. 2009 Mar;137(3):307-15. doi: 10.1017/S0950268808001969. Epidemiol Infect. 2009. PMID: 19200406 Review.
-
Do leafy green vegetables and their ready-to-eat [RTE] salads carry a risk of foodborne pathogens?Anaerobe. 2011 Dec;17(6):286-7. doi: 10.1016/j.anaerobe.2011.04.004. Epub 2011 Apr 29. Anaerobe. 2011. PMID: 21549216 Review.
Cited by
-
Bacterial community in fresh fruits and vegetables sold in streets and open-air markets of Dakar, Senegal.BMC Microbiol. 2024 Nov 13;24(1):471. doi: 10.1186/s12866-024-03622-9. BMC Microbiol. 2024. PMID: 39533199 Free PMC article.
-
Antibacterial mechanism analysis of resveratrol against Salmonella typhimurium via metabolomics.Appl Microbiol Biotechnol. 2024 Nov 12;108(1):512. doi: 10.1007/s00253-024-13341-w. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol. 2024. PMID: 39531061 Free PMC article.
-
Aggregative Swab Sampling Method for Romaine Lettuce Show Similar Quality and Safety Indicators and Microbial Profiles Compared to Composite Produce Leaf Samples in a Pilot Study.Foods. 2024 Sep 27;13(19):3080. doi: 10.3390/foods13193080. Foods. 2024. PMID: 39410116 Free PMC article.
-
Biofilm formation of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum food isolates under flow and resistance to disinfectant agents.Heliyon. 2024 Sep 26;10(19):e38502. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e38502. eCollection 2024 Oct 15. Heliyon. 2024. PMID: 39397932 Free PMC article.
-
Food safety issues associated with sesame seed value chains: Current status and future perspectives.Heliyon. 2024 Aug 14;10(16):e36347. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e36347. eCollection 2024 Aug 30. Heliyon. 2024. PMID: 39253262 Free PMC article. Review.
Publication types
MeSH terms
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
Other Literature Sources
Medical
Miscellaneous