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http://dx.doi.org/10.13103/JFHS.2022.37.2.87

Microbial Qualities of Parasites and Foodborne Pathogens in Ready to Eat (RTE) Fresh-cut Produces at the On/Offline Markets  

Jeon, Ji Hye (Department of Food and Nutrition, Kyung Hee University)
Roh, Jun Hye (Department of Food and Nutrition, Kyung Hee University)
Lee, Chae Lim (Department of Food and Nutrition, Kyung Hee University)
Kim, Geun Hyang (Department of Food and Nutrition, Kyung Hee University)
Lee, Jeong Yeon (Department of Food and Nutrition, Kyung Hee University)
Yoon, Ki Sun (Department of Food and Nutrition, Kyung Hee University)
Publication Information
Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety / v.37, no.2, 2022 , pp. 87-96 More about this Journal
Abstract
Recently, the purchase of fresh-cut produce and meal kits has increased. Ready-to-eat (RTE) fresh-cut products have potentially hazard of cross-contamination of various microorganisms in the processes of peeling, slicing, dicing, and shredding. There are frequent cases of protozoa food poisoning, such as Cyclospora and Cryptosporidium, caused by fresh-cut products. The objective of the study is to investigate the microbiological qualities of various types of RTE fresh-cut products in the domestic on/offline markets. RTE fresh-cut fruits cup (n=100), fresh-cut vegetables (n=50), and vegetables in meal kits (Vietnamese spring rolls and white radish rolls kits, n=50) were seasonally analyzed. The contamination levels of hygienic indicator organisms, yeast and mold (YM), and foodborne pathogens (Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella spp., and Escherichia coli O157:H7) were monitored. Overall, the lowest microbiological qualities of meal kits vegetables were observed, followed by RTE fresh-cut fruits cup and fresh-cut vegetables. Contamination levels of total aerobic bacteria, coliforms, and YM in meal kits vegetables were 5.91, 3.90, and 4.71 logs CFU/g, respectively. From the qualitative analysis, 6 out of 200 RTE fresh-cut products (3%) returned positive result for S. aureus. From the quantitative analysis, the contamination levels of S. aureus in purple cabbage from a meal-kit and fresh-cut pineapple were below the acceptable limit (100 CFU/g). Staphylococcus enterotoxin seg and sei genes were detected in RTE fresh-cut celery and red cabbage from meal-kits, respectively. S. aureus contamination must be carefully controlled during the manufacturing processes of RTE fresh-cut products. Neither Cyclospora cayetanensis nor Cryptosporidium parvum was detected in the samples of RTE fresh-cut products and vegetables from meal-kits from the Korean retail markets.
Keywords
Fresh-cut fruit cup; Fresh-cut vegetable; Meal kit; Pathogens; Parasites;
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Times Cited By KSCI : 9  (Citation Analysis)
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