International Specialty Supply
Supplying Sprout Companies Throughout the World
|
International Specialty Supply Supplying Sprout Companies Throughout the World
|
|
820 East 20th Street Cookeville, TN 38501 USA 931 526 1106
|
Microbial
Evaluation of Selected Fresh Produce Obtained at Retail Markets
Richard L. Thunberg; Tony T. Tran; Reginald W. Bennett; Roger
N. Matthews; Negash Belay, Journal of Food Protection ,Volume: 65 Number: 4
Page: p677 -- p682 The microbial quality of five types of fresh produce obtained
at the retail level was determined by standard quantitative techniques. These
techniques included aerobic plate count (APC), total coliform counts, Escherichia
coli counts, and yeast and mold counts. Three different methods were used to
determine total coliform counts, which consisted of MacConkey agar plate counts,
Colicomplete most probable number counts, and Petrifilm E. coli (EC)
plate counts. The mean APCs for sprouts, lettuce, celery, cauliflower, and
broccoli were 8.7, 8.6, 7.5, 7.4, and 6.3 log10 CFU/g, respectively.
MacConkey agar counts indicated that 89 to 96% of the APCs consisted of
gram-negative bacteria. Yeast and mold counts were in a range expected of fresh
produce. Fresh produce was also analyzed for human pathogens. Samples were
analyzed for Staphylococcus spp., Bacillus spp., Salmonella
spp., Listeria spp., and Campylobacter spp. One isolate of Staphylococcus
was found to be enterotoxigenic, and one species of Bacillus was also
toxigenic. Neither Salmonella spp. nor Campylobacter spp. were
detected in any of the produce samples. A variety of Listeria spp.,
including Listeria monocytogenes, were found in fresh produce. |