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Microbiological Safety Evaluations and Recommendations on Sprouted Seeds
National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods.
Int J Food Microbiol 1999 Nov 15;52(3):123-53.
In 1997, the National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods (NACMCF/the
Committee) was asked to review the current literature on sprout-associated
outbreaks: identify the organisms and production practices of greatest public
health concern: prioritize research needs: and provide recommendations on
intervention and prevention strategies. In response to this charge, the Fresh
Produce Work Group (FPWG) documented the relevant epidemiology and microbial
ecology of sprout-associated outbreaks and reviewed current industry practices
and initiatives related to the growing of seed and the production of sprouts.
Sprouts have been identified as a special problem because of the potential for
pathogen growth during the sprouting process. If pathogens are present on or in
the seed, sprouting conditions may favor their proliferation. There is no
inherent step in the production of raw sprouts to reduce or eliminate pathogens.
Contaminated seed is the likely source for most reported sprout-associated
outbreaks. Research has been initiated on methods to reduce or eliminate
pathogenic bacteria on seeds and sprouts and some treatments show promise.
However, to date, no single treatment has been shown to completely eliminate
pathogens under experimental conditions used. Finally, the Committee found that,
at the time of the charge, there was a lack of fundamental food safety knowledge
along the continuum from seed production through sprout consumption. More
recently, many have become aware of the potential for this food to be a vehicle
for foodborne illness and the need for appropriate controls: however, such
awareness is not universal. Although seed appears to be the most likely source
of contamination in sprout associated outbreaks, practices and conditions at the
sprouting facility may also impact on the safety of the finished product. In
recent sprout-associated outbreak investigations, facilities associated with
outbreaks did not consistently apply seed disinfection treatments prior to
sprouting. Conversely, facilities that used seed from the same lot as an
implicated facility, but had not been associated with reported illnesses, appear
to have been consistently using seed disinfection treatments, such as 20,000 ppm
calcium hypochlorite, to disinfect seed prior to sprouting. The Committee has
developed a number of specific recommendations, including: 1. The knowledge of
all interested parties pertaining to the microbiological safety of sprouted
seeds must be enhanced; government and industry should develop education
programs for seed and sprout producers on basic principles for microbiological
food safety, good agricultural practices, good manufacturing practices, and
hazard analysis and critical control point (HACCP) systems. 2. Good agricultural
practices should be systematically implemented to reduce the potential for
microbial contamination of seeds for sprout production. 3. Seed cleaning,
storage, and handling practices that minimize the potential for microbial
contamination should be developed and implemented. 4. Seeds should be treated
with one or more treatments that have been shown to reduce pathogenic bacteria
that may be present. Intervention strategies that deliver less than a given
reduction (at this time, 5-log) in levels of Salmonella spp. and
enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157 should be coupled with a microbiological
testing program. 5. Establish good manufacturing practices and food safety
systems, including regulatory oversight, microbial testing, adoption of HACCP,
and improved traceback, that systematically look for means to prevent seeds from
serving as the vehicle for foodborne disease, and 6. Conduct research related to
the microbiological safety of sprouted seeds, particularly in the areas of
pathogen reduction or elimination, sources of contamination and its prevention,
and preventing or retarding pathogen growth during sprouting.
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