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ISS
820 East 20th Street
Cookeville, TN 38501 USA
931 526 1106
Bob@sproutnet.com
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ISS Seed Screening Procedures
We have been asked by many, including the International
Sprout Growers Association, to make our seed screening procedures available to
other seed companies and sprout growers. We are pleased to do so in the
interest of food safety within the sprout industry.
The seed is then screened for
human pathogens in the following manner:
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Inspect
Shipment. Quarantine the seed and inspect the bags for evidence of
contamination. Such things would include mouse droppings, dead insect parts,
holes in the bags that appear to have come from rodents or insects, etc. In
dim light, inspect the bags under black light for traces of urine. Record any
findings.
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Sample
Seed. Sample 25 grams from of each and every bag in the entire shipment using
a seed trier or other procedures described by the ISTA Handbook on Seed
Sampling, Second Edition, January, 2004, International Seed Testing
Association. This is 1/1000th of the seed and often comes to 20-22 kg of
seed. If the composite sample does not come to 3 kg, collect additional
samples until the composite sample equals at least 3 kg. Record lot
information and sampling information.
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Inspect
the Composite Sample. Visually inspect the seed for damage and evidence of
contamination. Such things would include dirt, mouse droppings, glass, metal,
live or dead insects or animals, etc. Then do the same using a magnifying
glass. Pull out anything that is suspicious and inspect it more thoroughly
under a microscope. Record any findings.
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Sprout
the Composite Sample. Sprout the sample, without sanitizing it.
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Test
Runoff Water. Collect two samples of the runoff water at approximately 48
hours, or, for slow growing seed, after radical emergence. Record production
and collection times and methods. Enrich and test both samples for
Salmonella, E.coli 0157:H7, Listeria monocytogenes, Shigella and E.coli. If
E.coli is present test for Enterotoxigenic Bacteria. Record lab findings and
results of inspection. If there are human pathogens reject the seed and
contact the company that sold you the seed.
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Documentation. All steps are recorded along with who was responsible for each
step and the results of the tests. The test results are provided with each
seed order.
The first three steps are just to help a person make an
educated decision about the safety of the seed. If, for instance, a seed
lot were full of mouse droppings it would be rejected regardless of the results
of a pathogen test. But it is not practical to reject a lot if there are a
few damaged seeds, or a dead insect stuck to the outside of a paper bag.
This information is reviewed and the risk evaluated.
Our procedures are continually changed and improved as
we learn more about seed screening. When purchasing a lot of seed, please
ask for a copy of the current seed screening protocol and for the documentation
on the lots of seed you are interested in.
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