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http://dx.doi.org/10.13103/JFHS.2012.27.3.277

Investigation of Microbial Contamination Levels of Leafy Greens and Its Distributing Conditions at Different Time - Focused on Perilla leaf and Lettuce -  

Kim, Won-Il (Microbial Safety Team, Department of Crop Life Safety, National Academy of Agricultural Science, RDA)
Jung, Hyang-Mi (Microbial Safety Team, Department of Crop Life Safety, National Academy of Agricultural Science, RDA)
Kim, Se-Ri (Microbial Safety Team, Department of Crop Life Safety, National Academy of Agricultural Science, RDA)
Park, Kyeong-Hun (Microbial Safety Team, Department of Crop Life Safety, National Academy of Agricultural Science, RDA)
Kim, Byung-Seok (Microbial Safety Team, Department of Crop Life Safety, National Academy of Agricultural Science, RDA)
Yun, Jong-Chul (Microbial Safety Team, Department of Crop Life Safety, National Academy of Agricultural Science, RDA)
Ryu, Kyoung-Yul (R&D Performance Evaluation & Management Division, Research Policy Bureau, RDA)
Publication Information
Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety / v.27, no.3, 2012 , pp. 277-284 More about this Journal
Abstract
The objective of this study was to investigate and evaluate microbial contamination levels of leafy greens (perilla leaf and lettuce) and its distributing conditions at different seasons (Feb, May, Aug, and Nov of the year 2011) in order to provide insight into any potential health hazards associated with consumption of these commodities. Leafy greens were collected from a farm located in Geumsan, Chungnam and wholesale markets (WM) and traditional markets (TM) located in Suwon. At the same time, temperature and relative humidity fluctuations experienced by the leafy greens during distribution from the farm to the distribution center were measured by a data logger. The contamination levels of perilla leaf and lettuce were determined by analyzing total plate count. Coliform groups, Bacillus cereus, Escherichia coli, Escherichia coli O157:H7, Salmonella spp., Listeria monocytogenes and Staphylococcus aureus were determined. The contamination levels of total aerobic bacteria, coliform groups and B. cereus in both vegetables sampled during May and August found to be higher than those sampled during February and November. E. coli O157:H7, Salmonella spp., L. monocytogenes were not detected in the vegetables analyzed in this study. There were no significant trends between samples at WM and TM in the contamination levels. Relative humidity of vegetables distributed from the farm to the distribution center showed over 90% during distribution regardless of measured seasons. In the case of background microflora on leafy greens, the density was significantly increased at 20, 30 and $37^{\circ}C$ during storage of 24h. E. coli O157:H7 and B. cereus inoculated on the leaves also showed similar increases in the storage tests. The microbial contamination levels determined in this study may be used as the fundamental data for microbial risk assessment.
Keywords
distribution; leafy greens; lettuce; perilla leaf;
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